Liverpool suffered a crushing blow in the dying moments of their clash against Crystal Palace, losing 2-1.

Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season after Crystal Palace snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park, with Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute strike punishing a costly lapse in concentration.

Just moments after new signing Federico Chiesa fired home a superb equalizer to cancel out Palace’s opener, the Reds looked destined to leave South London with at least a point.

But deep into stoppage time, disaster struck. Jeremie Frimpong’s ambitious foray forward left the Liverpool back line exposed, and Palace seized their moment. Nketiah latched onto a loose ball and coolly slotted past Alisson Becker, sparking wild celebrations from the home crowd.

After the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot cut a visibly frustrated figure, openly admitting that his side had no one to blame but themselves.

“We can only blame ourselves for defending like that,” the Dutchman told reporters.

While Slot did not name Frimpong directly, his words carried little ambiguity.

“One player was too attack-minded at that moment. That cost us the game,” Slot added.

The comments appeared aimed at the summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, who has earned plaudits in recent weeks for his attacking dynamism but this time was culpable in leaving Liverpool short at the back.

Beyond the late error, Slot conceded his side had been second best for much of the contest. Palace, marshalled brilliantly by Oliver Glasner, created the clearer chances in the first half and were only denied by Alisson’s string of superb saves and Jean-Philippe Mateta striking the post.

“If one team deserved the victory today, it was Palace,” Slot admitted.

The defeat ends Liverpool’s perfect start to the season and drops the defending champions out of the top two. Meanwhile, Palace’s late winner propels them into second place and leaves them as the only unbeaten side in the Premier League.