'Didn't back himself': Don Hutchison breaks down 'strange' Milos Kerkez moment which cost Liverpool yesterday

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Liverpool almost climbed back against Crystal Palace but were denied by a dramatic late winner.

It is poetic that the Reds suffered their first loss this season through an Eddie Nketiah stunner in the final minute of the game to make it 2-1 to Oliver Glasner’s side after Liverpool were the second-best team for the majority of the game.

All hope was not abandoned when Federico Chiesa found an equaliser from nowhere after emerging from the bench to prove a threat to this Palace side, but it was not enough in the end.

Arne Slot’s team were marred by individual errors and starting XI changes, which made an already strong South London side even more of a nightmare to play against, given their Community Shield win in August.

Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

However, it felt there were not many answers that the Dutchman could come up with to answer Glasner’s side, who now extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League while ending Liverpool’s.

What this should do is serve as an opportunity for change in this team, given they have won many games while being on the back foot and not playing to their usual dominant ways.

Palace’s winner, though, was the second time in the game Slot’s side conceded from a set-piece, with this throw-in given away by Milos Kerkez, who hooked the ball away.

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This decision has been criticised by pundits, and former Reds player Don Hutchison has had his say on ESPN FC after watching the game on Saturday.

The former midfielder heaped praise on the home side as he claimed that the equaliser was almost Liverpool pulling off a robbery.

Hutchison said: “Chiesa was on the bench who came on late, and somehow when the game got back to 1-1 I thought that is the biggest robbery of the century.”

However, he did not only criticise what was almost an undeserved point in his view, but the 54-year-old laid into the Hungarian’s decision and broke down exactly why it was so poor.

He said: “Craig talked about Kerkez honestly.

When you see the goal back again in its truest form, the ball gets laid back or gets pinged back to Kerkez.

It’s on his right foot on the edge of the box, and he didn’t back himself to use his right foot, his swinger, to try and clear the ball as far as possible and get distance on his clearance.

“He allowed the ball a strange sort of pattern of play to come all the way down on his left-hand side, and what did he do?

Kick the ball out for a throw-in which is a far bigger threat for Crystal Palace.

They scored the late winner.

Massively deserved a 2-1 win flatters Liverpool.”

It has not been an easy start to life in a red shirt for the left-back, but his performances do need to improve, given that he is considered the first-choice.

The issues in this match for Kerkez, in the first half specifically, came from the choice of Slot not to start a natural left winger in Cody Gakpo, with Florian Wirtz taking up that position.

With the 21-year-old a makeshift left winger and full-back, it was a very difficult game for him to actually have an influence on or prevent any mistakes.

However, he does still need to be given time, just like the rest of the squad, to be a unit, and his qualities have been seen in previous games, with the Everton victory last weekend a good example.

For him to be the best he can, there has to be a full lineup, which is not altered every week, for him to actually be comfortable in his position down the left.

Until that happens, it will be incredibly difficult for this side to prevent another loss like this in the very near future.