Arne Slot hasn’t put a foot wrong since guiding Liverpool to a Premier League title in his debut season — but Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup disaster may go down as his biggest misstep yet.
The Dutchman’s gamble to rest his stars backfired spectacularly as a youthful, second-string Reds side crashed 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the last 16.
Liverpool were without Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, and Hugo Ekitike — all rested as Slot handed opportunities to fringe players and academy prospects. But the experiment imploded.
Three teenagers started, and five more sat on the bench. After a promising start, Ismaila Sarr struck twice before half-time, and 18-year-old Amara Nallo’s red card ended any hopes of a comeback. Yeremy Pino’s late goal sealed a humiliating exit — Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven matches.
Slot defended his decision, insisting, “This club has always used this competition for academy players… It felt like the right decision, and I haven’t changed my opinion because we lost.”
Still, with a grueling run ahead — Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City within 10 days — questions are mounting.
Is Liverpool’s squad truly as thin as Slot suggests? Or did the manager’s rotation call show misplaced confidence in youth at a time the team needed stability most?
Either way, as the Anfield rain poured down, the excuses sounded as heavy as the defeat itself.
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