Shearer Sounds the Alarm as Palace Expose Liverpool’s Soft Centre
Alan Shearer doesn’t deal in fluff. After Crystal Palace rattled Liverpool and pinched it with a 97th-minute sucker punch from Eddie Nketiah, the Premier League’s record scorer delivered a blunt verdict: the Reds’ defending is a worry, and unless Arne Slot tightens up fast, this title defence could go sideways.
Palace lay bare the issues
Let’s be honest: the first half at Anfield was a wake-up call. Palace didn’t just threaten; they carved Liverpool open at will, racking up north of two expected goals by the interval and fashioning four big chances. If not for Alisson’s elastic heroics, this would have been out of sight long before the break. As it was, Ismaila Sarr’s tidy finish had the Eagles deservedly 1-0 up.
Liverpool thought they’d nicked a point late on when Federico Chiesa levelled, only for Nketiah to break red hearts at the death. A proper smash to the solar plexus — and the first defeat of the campaign to boot.
Shearer’s verdict: not good enough at the back
On The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer didn’t bother with sugar-coating. In his view, Palace sliced through Liverpool far too easily — good football from the visitors, yes, but unacceptable space and softness from a side with championship ambitions. The message was unmistakable: tighten up, or you’ll keep getting punished.
Heroes, headaches and a failed late fix
Alisson and Virgil van Dijk have been colossal this season, but the supporting cast hasn’t always matched the standard. Ibrahima Konaté, linked with Real Madrid as his deal ticks down, hasn’t hit last year’s heights. Liverpool knew a reinforcement wouldn’t hurt — hence the deadline-day push for Marc Guéhi — but Palace pulled the plug.
Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong add thrust going forward, yet both are still bedding into the league’s defensive grind. Conor Bradley and Andy Robertson have stepped in at times, but the blend isn’t quite right. Here’s the blunt stat: Liverpool have shipped seven league goals in six matches — too generous for a side with designs on the big prize.
Title race context and what comes next
With Arsenal nicking a late win at Newcastle, Liverpool now find themselves two points off the summit. The schedule offers no respite either: a testing trip to Chelsea looms, and Slot’s structure will be under the microscope again.
The good news? This isn’t terminal. The press still scares teams, the midfield can suffocate games, and there’s plenty of match-winning quality. But the soft centre must go. Trim the space between the lines, protect the channels, and cut out the charity at set pieces — do that, and the balance returns.
If you’re weighing the market as the race twists and turns, have a look at the best betting sites for how the odds are shifting. But make no mistake: until Liverpool stop handing out chances, every contender in the league will fancy their chances of landing a jab of their own.
