Jamie Carragher names and shames five Liverpool players for Crystal Palace’s late winner | OneFootball

Carragher delivers scathing analysis after Crystal Palace heartbreak

Liverpool’s stoppage-time defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park has sparked sharp criticism from Jamie Carragher, who accused several senior players of committing what he described as a “cardinal sin”. The late lapse, punished by Eddie Nketiah’s 98th-minute winner, has raised uncomfortable questions about focus and discipline within Arne Slot’s side.

Carragher points to costly concentration failure

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher highlighted the moments leading up to Nketiah’s decisive strike. He identified a lack of concentration from five Liverpool players during the throw-in phase, which ultimately gifted Palace the chance to exploit a rare opening.

“Look at the Liverpool players,” Carragher said. “They weren’t watching the ball. They thought the game was done. That’s a cardinal sin – something drilled into you from the earliest age. You never take your eye off it.”

The former Liverpool defender went further, pointing out that Milos Kerkez appeared distracted, bending down rather than engaging his opponent. With multiple players caught ahead of the ball and no one taking responsibility, Palace seized the moment. For Carragher, this was not about officiating decisions or added time, but about a fundamental breakdown in game management.

Palace punish lack of focus in stoppage time

Liverpool had worked tirelessly for 97 minutes in what was always going to be a draining contest against a disciplined Palace side. Yet, when the decisive moment arrived, tired legs and minds betrayed them. Two of the most experienced figures – Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – were among those who switched off, something Carragher described as “not acceptable at this level of football”.

For Slot and his staff, the frustration will be that this was not a moment of brilliance from Palace, but rather a lapse of concentration that turned a hard-fought point into a damaging defeat. Such moments are rare from Liverpool’s senior core, but their timing could hardly be worse, with Arsenal closing the gap in the title race.

Lessons for Slot ahead of Galatasaray

Liverpool must regroup quickly with a Champions League fixture against Galatasaray looming. Slot admitted post-match that the lapse was avoidable, and his task now is to ensure the episode serves as a lesson rather than a recurring flaw.

Carragher’s analysis underlines that the standards required at the top level leave no room for complacency, particularly in stoppage time. Liverpool have built their reputation on dramatic late winners this season, yet they were undone by the very scenario they have so often thrived in.

Avoiding a longer-term slump

The Selhurst Park defeat is not fatal to Liverpool’s ambitions, but the manner of the loss will sting. For Slot, preventing this from becoming a trend is essential. One moment of carelessness cannot be allowed to define a run of fixtures that will test the squad’s resilience.

Crystal Palace exposed not a tactical weakness, but a human one – fatigue, assumption, and lapse in detail. Carragher’s analysis may have been scathing, but its accuracy cannot be disputed. For Liverpool, the response in the coming weeks will reveal whether this was an isolated misstep or the beginning of a slide.