Rousing the Kop

‘The problem was’: Steve Nicol believes Slot is blaming the wrong player for Crystal Palace’s last-gasp winner

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Liverpool suffered a taste of their own medicine on Saturday as they were beaten by a last-minute winner.The Reds’ perfect start to the season ended at the weekend as they lost for the very first time, with Crystal Palace now the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League.Oliver Glasner’s side were very much the better team, although it looked like Liverpool were going to sneak a draw until the final seconds of the match.Eddie Nketiah scored the winner in the 97th minute after a chaotic long throw-in, which is something that left Arne Slot fuming.The Dutchman came out after the game with a rather bizarre and cryptic rant about one of his players after believing he was at fault for the goal, but Steve Nicol thinks he is pointing the finger in the wrong direction. Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesArne Slot should be blaming Milos KerkezAfter the match against Palace, Slot was asked about the reason why he thinks his team ended up losing the game, and the Dutchman really did not hold back.He said that his team was too “offensively-minded,” before correcting himself and saying “not we, one person was” which he believes led to the goal.Although he did not name the player, Nicol thinks that he was talking about Jeremie Frimpong, although he thinks he should be looking at Milos Kerkez instead.“I don’t really understand what Arne Slot is talking about,” Nicol told ESPN.“I was trying to figure it out and I’m going to assume it was Frimpong because that can be the only answer.“When the ball is thrown into the air, Frimpong takes a couple of steps out.



But before the throw-in, Kerkez clears the ball with his right foot and sticks it on the halfway line, that’s where the problem is.READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s chances of making Liverpool v Real Madrid updated after Dani Carvajal blow“It isn’t Frimpong trying to go forward because I guarantee you he was told to go forward at every chance he can.“So he’s hyped up to go forward and he does get back, but the problem was Kerkez, that’s where if he’s pointing a finger, that’s who it should be at.”Liverpool need to improve quicklyLiverpool are still sitting top of the Premier League so it may seem harsh to say they need to improve, but that really is the case.Their performances so far have been nowhere near convincing enough and they are still yet to play a game where they got over the line comfortably.And against Palace, the scoreline could, and probably should, have been a lot worse for the Reds, although Alisson Becker’s heroics almost salvaged them a point. With Arsenal finding a late winner against Newcastle, they are now just two points behind, but if Liverpool continue to struggle, they could find themselves slipping down the table very quickly.