Isak completes Liverpool’s three-goal salvo as late Nketiah penalty offers little to Palace

On 8 November 2026, Liverpool defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 in a Premier League match in south London, with Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz opening the scoring before Alexander Isak completed the trio and Eddie Nketiah converted a late penalty for Palace.

Liverpool arrived in south London having lost to Arsenal at Anfield the previous Sunday and then to Fenerbahce in midweek in the Champions League, a tie in which Andoni Iraola criticised the team for "Cheap, messy goals." Despite that loss they had won all three of their opening Champions League matches. The home crowd was subdued partly because the Holmesdale Fanatics halted their matchday activities in protest, leaving Palace’s supporters largely silent as Liverpool’s away end celebrated.

The match swung decisively after a move down Liverpool’s right when Bradley Barcola supplied a low pull-back for Florian Wirtz, whose first-time finish under pressure gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead; Alexis Mac Allister had earlier put them ahead with a near-post header from a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick shortly before half-time. The timing of Wirtz’s run and the technique of his finish were noted as key to that second goal.

Crystal Palace had threatened in the first period, Jeremy Pino emerging as their standout with a shot that struck the crossbar and other promising moments, and Adam Wharton produced a last-ditch challenge to deny Isak during a 26th-minute Liverpool break. Tyrick Mitchell’s forward pass created the Pino opportunity that hit the frame, and Palace produced several attacking moments including a Jørgen Strand Larsen effort ruled out for offside after a Pino shot deflected off Daichi Kamada.

Liverpool’s starting lineup reflected Iraola’s selection choices, with Szoboszlai restored to midfield from the Arsenal game as part of what the report described as Liverpool’s strongest available side; they began on the front foot, probing with distance shots and a few near-misses such as Cody Gakpo volleying across goal and Barcola seeing a high volley from a Szoboszlai cross. In first-half stoppage time another Szoboszlai free-kick almost produced a goal but Ronald Araujo could not properly reach a Jérémy Jacquet flick.

There was controversy when referee Tony Harrington awarded a foul against Jefferson Lerma on Gakpo that Palace supporters regarded as soft; the report states the decision was right. Liverpool later eased the game and Isak added a late third when he smashed home from Wirtz’s touch, a strike that prompted many Palace fans to leave the stadium early. Alisson also kept Liverpool’s lead intact at times with several saves, including blocking a Pino effort after a Palace counter.

For Palace the match represented a worsening run: it was their fourth successive league defeat and Eddie Nketiah’s late penalty, scored after he came on as a substitute, was their first goal during that mini-run. There was no visible anger from the crowd at full-time and, according to the report, there does not appear to be appetite among supporters for the dismissal of manager Pierre Sage, with the club’s recruitment and the absence through injury of Ismaïla Sarr cited as ongoing problems.