Crystal Palace won the 2025 Super Cup after defeating Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes of official play at Wembley.
The first half was exciting with 2 goals from Liverpool new signings, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, in between which was a successful penalty from Jean- Philippe Mateta after Ismaila Sarr was fouled by Virgil van Dijk.
After the break, the duo Ekitike and Wirtz still "made waves" in front of Palace's defense but could not increase the gap. On the contrary, the "Great Bang" attack helped them equalize 2-2 in the 77th minute thanks to Ismaila Sarr. Oliver Glasner's side then had another penalty-calling situation when the ball touched Alexis Mac Allister's hand but the referee disallowed it.
Both sides had a chance to finish the match in the final minutes, but the draw was determined to be decided by a penalty shootout. Here, goalkeeper Dean Henderson once again played a hero when successfully blocking 2 penalties, plus the waste of Liverpool strikers.
The players who missed penalties on Liverpool's side were Salah, Mac Allister and Elliott. Palace, meanwhile, have just made two mistakes, Eze and Sosa. This victory helped the London team win the English Super Cup for the first time. For The Kop, the defeat also helped Arne Slot's team realize many things before the new season.
On the positive side, Florian Wirtz is still Liverpool's brightest star, bringing flexibility to the attack. In the 4th minute, Wirtz had a very good smash with Kerkez and Ekitike to open the score. The German star has continuously moved widely, connecting the attack with Ekitike and Salah, and participating in defence when needed.
In the 52nd minute, he created a ten-point chance for Ekitike but the striker shot over the bar. Wirtz's willingness to move around the pitch also contributes to Liverpool's flexibility in attack. Ekitike was ready to drop deep and receive the ball when turning his back towards the goal, switching positions with both Wirtz and Cody Gakpo.
Meanwhile, Frimpong's dynamism on the right wing allowed Salah to play as a striker, with Wirtz working as a number 10 behind him and Ekitike. The 23-year-old star is the center of Liverpool's 4- spiker attack, operating at maximum capacity.
Besides Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike also had an impressive start. It only took the Kop striker 4 minutes to make his mark with a beautiful goal. Not only did he finish sharply, the striker born in 2002 also impressed with his technical handling and move that quickly broke Palace's defense. Even without the ball, Ekitike still harassed and stretched the opponent's formation.
Ekitike was signed as a striker ready to make an immediate impact but also looking forward to the long term. Liverpool believes he has the potential to develop into a world-class centre-forward and the initial signs of the French rookie are very good.
Liverpool are in the transition period but Arne Slot should be temporarily satisfied with the way the new players integrate. The Kop are missing up to 5 key players compared to last season. Changing both full-backs will take time to get used to and could cause initial problems. The Reds also need Virgil van Dijk to put aside his performance against Palace and regain his best form in the opening match against Bournemouth.
In addition, the team needs to add a central defender before the transfer window closes. Because, if Van Dijk or Konate are injured, Liverpool's force will be very fragile. Especially since their title contenders have been boosted this summer.
The loss to Crystal Palace was not necessarily a bad moment as 13/14 of the teams that most recently won the Super Cup could not win the Premier League that season. The last time Liverpool won both the Super Cup and the domestic championship was in the 1989-1990 season. Therefore, Slot's team should look at the positives towards the new season.
