Liverpool 0-3 Crystal Palace: Arne Slot sacrifices shot at EFL Cup for potential "blessing in disguise"

By David Lynch, Liverpool expert:

If Arne Slot deserves any credit from what was a sixth defeat in seven games for Liverpool, it is for sticking to his guns.

Under pressure as a result of his team's poor run of recent form, the Dutchman could quite easily have taken the desperate route of trying to play his strongest XI back into form here.

Instead, he selected a mixture of youngsters and fringe players as if this were any other game in the early rounds of the League Cup.

That Crystal Palace went with a far more familiar line-up meant the end result - a 3-0 defeat - ultimately came as no shock whatsoever.

The visitors were deserving winners, as they have been on the last three occasions they have come up against Liverpool already this season.

But the final verdict on Slot's selection as not delivered at full time of a game that a spate of recent injuries had pushed even further down the priority list.

Rather, it will come in 11 days' time, when the Reds round off a run that sees them face Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Slot will hope that the chances of victory in those fixtures has been boosted by giving so many of his first-team stars the night off here.

And if that proves to be the case, then it will be possible to imagine Liverpool still competing for Premier League and Champions League glory this season.

If not, then the Reds manager will have sacrificed a shot at a major trophy and received nothing in return, inviting further pressure upon his position in the process.

Could Liverpool EFL Cup exit be "blessing in disguise" for Arne Slot?

Liverpool should not find it too hard to recover from a result that was effectively guaranteed when the teamsheets dropped at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

Crystal Palace may have made five changes, but theirs was a far stronger starting XI featuring a number of first-teamers supported by a strong cast of substitutes.

Liverpool, meanwhile, made 10 alterations to their lineup, and packed out the bench with kids as the likes of Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk watched from the stands.

The result was an unsurprisingly poor performance from the hosts and deserved win for Palace - their third over the Reds already this season.

Still, Slot will hope that being out of the EFL Cup can now prove a blessing in disguise for a team that is finding wins hard enough to come by without further clogging up the schedule.

The alternative does not bear thinking for a manager who is already facing questions.