Liverpool better learn from dramatic late defeat at unbeaten Crystal Palace

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Having become the masters of scoring late in the Premier League this season, Liverpool saw their familiar script flipped on Saturday afternoon when they suffered a last-gasp 2-1 victory at the hands of an ascendent Crystal Palace.

After being comprehensively outplayed during a first half in which Ismalia Sarr's ninth-minute goal gave the hosts a deserved lead, Arne Slot's side thought they had done enough to snatch a precious point thanks to Federico Chiesa's strike in the 87th minute.

Palace, though, ensured their visitors got a taste of their own medicine, with substitute Eddie Nketiah rifling home the winner in the final seconds of the game.

The victory moves Palace up to second in the Premier League table and extends their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions.

In fact, the hosts' dominance in the first half was such that Slot and his players may well have shook hands on a narrow defeat at the break.

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Sarr -- who now has five goals in eight career games against Liverpool -- put Palace ahead after nine minutes after the visitors failed to deal with an early corner, before both Yeremy Pino and Daniel Muñoz forced Alisson Becker into fine saves to keep the game in the balance.

Had Slot's side managed to see the game through, Chiesa's strike would have constituted their fifth result-changing goal in the final 10 minutes this season; no other Premier League team has more than two.

Whether those numbers are down to quality, perseverance or sheer good luck, the law of averages suggested that Liverpool were always likely to fall foul of a moment of late magic at some point.

Last season, after suffering a similarly dispiriting defeat to Nottingham Forest in September, Slot's side went 26 league games unbeaten and romped to the title; the Liverpool boss will back his team to offer a similarly resounding response this term.

For Palace, meanwhile, this is a result that showed just how far the club has come under the stewardship of Glasner, who has now equalled the record for most league games unbeaten (12) as Palace manager.

As the home supporters spilled out of Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, they launched into a jubilant chorus of "we're gonna win the league!"

Only time will tell if that prophecy is fulfilled but they have, at least, made Liverpool's quest to retain their Premier League crown significantly more difficult.