It was a match in which Liverpool were both thriving and disappointing. The reigning Premier League champions have never been behind in the English Super Cup, but in the end, it was Crystal Palace who won after a dramatic 2-2 draw and a penalty shootout at Wembley.
This was the second time in just a few months - after a 1-2 defeat to Newcastle United in March in the Carabao Cup final - Liverpool were forced to leave the capital empty-handed, when they could not properly demonstrate the style of a strong candidate for the championship in the new season.
Coach Arne Slot's team has bright spots, but also revealed many problems that need to be overcome before entering the 2025-2026 campaign.
In recent weeks, most attention has been on Liverpool around big-money deals in the transfer market. Up to now, The Kop have spent more than 270 million pounds to strengthen Slot's championship squad with a series of quality new players such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike and Giorgi Mamardashvili.
A significant part of that huge spending has been offset by selling Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz to Al-Hilal and Bayern Munich. In addition, the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton has also helped Liverpool earn a significant additional source of funding.
However, the confrontation with Crystal Palace shows that this is still a squad that needs to continue to upgrade, as the problem of lack of quality depth in key positions still exists.
Joe Gomez's injury has left Liverpool without a familiar centre-back on the bench at Wembley. This will certainly concern Arne Slot, although he still insists some of his players can take on replacement roles.
More worryingly, even with the strongest defensive quartet, the "Red Brigade" still appears vulnerable in defense.
"We have changed four players, and sometimes it takes time to adapt, both in attack and defence. Against Bilbao, we hardly conceded any chances, only two set pieces.
Today, I think we didn't score too many goals, just two goals... Ah, I forgot a few situations. For me, the second equalizer was their second big chance in the match. Maybe we need to make some adjustments in defense," Slot said after the match.
From Liverpool's perspective, the biggest disappointment is probably the fact that they have had an impressive start but have not been able to maintain the advantage. After only 4 minutes, rookie Hugo Ekitike left his mark with a beautiful curse.
Although Liverpool spent £69 million to bring the 23-year-old striker from Eintracht Frankfurt to Merseyside, his debut was somewhat overshadowed by rumors surrounding Alexander Isak (New Newcastle). This is a target that Liverpool had offered for £ 110 million but were rejected earlier this month.
Although The Kop are still interested in Isak, Ekitike has proven that he did not come to Anfield as a secondary player. Not only did he score, the Frenchman also showed his skillful technique and incredible understanding with his new teammates.
Frimpong also managed to score a second goal for Liverpool - a bold but somewhat lucky goal - after Jean- Philippe Mateta equalized from the penalty spot.
In midfield, Florian Wirtz showed the reason Liverpool agreed to spend £100 million to bring him from Bayer Leverkusen, while Kerkez continued his persistent performance at left-back.
Throughout the pre-season, Liverpool's new signings have all created positive signals. However, if they want to defend their title this season, they still need to add more players before the transfer window ends on September 1.
Notably, Arne Slot had the opportunity to watch Marc Guehi - the captain of Crystal Palace and Liverpool's top transfer target. The England international has only one year left on his contract and is receiving special attention from The Kop. Although any deal will have to be financially reasonable to take place before the deadline.
