After six games of the 2025/26 Premier League season, there is just one team that remains unbeaten, and it isn’t Liverpool. Arne Slot’s men top the table but following their 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on the 27th of September, it is the Eagles who have yet to taste defeat.
Palace gave a sign of how good they would be when they overcame Liverpool in the Community Shield. However, winning a pseudo-friendly and thriving in the Premier League are two different things. So Oliver Glasner really must be given credit for guiding his side to third in the table after six matches, and even more for becoming the first team to get the better of Slot’s men in competitive action this term.
With three wins and three draws, Palace have 12 points, so remain three adrift of the Reds. The table-toppers have 15 thanks to their opening run of five straight wins that was ended at Selhurst Park. That was a huge result for Palace, but also for Arsenal, Man City and all the other teams chasing Liverpool. After their excellent start and the seemingly brilliant business they did in the transfer window, many were practically giving the Merseysiders the title already. However, Palace’s win and Liverpool’s subsequent Champions League defeat to Galatasaray have given the PL’s other top sides a real chunk of hope.
Liverpool Score Late Again… But Eagles’ Eddie Even Later
Crystal Palace with key win as Liverpool get their first defeat of the season! 🦅
Who’s been your Man of the Match? pic.twitter.com/4q00Sq202M
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 27, 2025
Liverpool have made an astonishing habit of scoring late winners this term. Rarely have they won with ease, netting decisive goals after the 80th minute against Southampton in the EFL Cup, Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and Burnley, Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth in the Premier League. Indeed, many of those late strikes have come in stoppage time, often leaving Reds supporters’ nerves jangling, before the incredible release of a late winner.
Given their record, some fans may not have been overly worried when they trailed Palace 1-0. The Eagles scored after just nine minutes through perennial Liverpool pest Ismaila Sarr. It was an open game; both clubs had several decent chances to score. And even though the home side were probably good value for their lead, Reds fans would have expected their men to rally late on, as usual.
Indeed, when Federico Chiesa, on as a sub, scored after 87 minutes, you might have struggled to find an away fan who wasn’t expecting a second goal for their team to follow. Liverpool had been much the better side in the second half and wasted a number of chances to equalise before Chiesa scored. They controlled possession and in all racked up 14 attempts on goal in the second 45. They were wasteful, though, with only two of those, including the goal, being on target.
It looked like that wastefulness would mean they would have to settle for a point. However, in the 97th minute, a former Gunner did Arsenal a huge favour by ensuring that the away team would not return north with even that. Right at the death, Eddie Nketiah, who came off the bench with just 15 minutes remaining, was left in far too much space at the far post. He steered his shot past a helpless Alisson to send the home fans wild.
Liverpool, at last, were being given a taste of their own medicine. They dared to dream of a reprieve but a VAR check confirmed that the Palace striker was just onside, and so the home side took all three points. Overall, they just about deserved the win, having amassed an xG of 2.07 in the first half alone, when only the brilliance of Liverpool’s keeper kept them in the game. It ended Liverpool’s 100% start to the season, simultaneously meaning that the hosts equalled their club record of going 18 games unbeaten in all competitions. But perhaps more than either of those things, it gave a massive boost to the Premier League’s chasing pack.
Gunners Almost Spurn Opportunity
WE. NEVER. GIVE. UP. 👊 pic.twitter.com/xiTvil7iNZ
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 28, 2025
Man City beat Burnley 5-1 at the same time as the Palace versus Liverpool clash was playing out to give a sign of their intent. But it was Arsenal who were closest to Liverpool, and they did not play until Sunday. They faced a tricky test, away at Newcastle, with St James’ Park not a happy hunting ground for the Gunners in recent years.
With just seven minutes remaining, the hosts were 1-0 up, and it seemed as though Mikel Arteta’s men were going to waste their chance to claw back even a point on Liverpool, let alone three. However, they “did a Liverpool” and scored twice late on, the winner coming in the 96th minute. They deserved the win, but earlier it had seemed like being one of those days, with Arsenal denied a penalty by VAR, hitting the woodwork and also finding Nick Pope in fine form.
However, they were not to be denied, and in the final reckoning, this may turn out to be a huge weekend in the Premier League title battle. For now though, it keeps things very interesting at the top and gives neutrals hope for an exciting, season-long fight at the top. And who knows, maybe Palace can replicate Leicester’s incredible title heroics?