OLIVER Glasner emphasised Crystal Palace are always focused on their standards after turning a 2-0 half-time lead against Liverpool in the last sixteen of the EFL Cup into a 3-0 victory as the visitors negated any anticipated fightback from Arnie Slot’s side.
Palace’s Ismaila Sarr scored twice in a four-minute spell at the end of the first half, before Yeremy Pino added the third two minutes from time to send the Eagles through to a quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Slot is under scrutiny for making ten changes to his struggling side, including bringing in three teenagers, but Glasner also changed his line-up, bringing in goalkeeper Walter Benitez, defenders Jaydee Canvot and Borna Sosa, midfielder Will Hughes and striker Eddie Nketiah.
Palace have now beaten the Reds three times in three months.
“We’re always talking about our standards,” Glasner said when asked about the half-time lead.
“Regardless of how the score is, regardless of where we are playing, regardless of which team we are playing, we set our standards. We want to play Crystal Palace football in and out of possession.
“We want to see the patterns we are training, we are talking about, and making the runs. The players did it. I think we can still do it better.
“Playing the champions three times in three months and winning all three games is exceptional. Credit to the players, because they did it.
“It took us fifteen minutes to be in the game – we did well, scored nice goals and controlled the game. I don’t know how often this happens when you play the [Premier League] champion three times within three months, and you win three times. So, credit to the players.”
Sarr has scored four times against Slot’s side this season.
Glasner said: “It looks like Isma likes to play against Liverpool – he’s always scoring against them! But on the other side, he needs all the other players around him.
“Like in the first goal, Dani Munoz makes a great run into the box, and he’s there. In the second, as I mentioned, the three attackers were connected, and it was quite a nice goal.”
Glasner added:”We didn’t know who they were going to play. Andy Robertson, Endo, Kerkez and Mac Allister. Mac Allister is a world champion and yes, a few young players. Rio Ngumoha has shown already he can score goals.
“In the first fifteen minutes we didn’t do well, we had the feeling we were still in the hotel beds. We played slowly into the game, we scored nice goals, the performance was okay, but it was not a great performance.”
The only negative for Palace was an injury to Nketiah, who was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta at half-time. Glasner later confirmed the forward had picked up a hamstring injury.
