Liverpool were deservedly beaten 2-1 by Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Premier League clash was held at Selhurst Park, with most Liverpool fans thinking they’d squeezed a point out of the game after Federico Chiesa’s late strike.
In the end, however, it wasn’t meant to be with Eddie Nketiah managing to slip one past Alisson in the dying embers of the game after a long throw by Jefferson Lerma landed at his feet.
Saturday was also Alexander Isak’s first Premier League start for Liverpool since joining from Newcastle, and to be honest, his performance was rather forgettable.
In fact, Palace’s fans even made him aware of how they felt about him after they targeted him with a taunting chant when he was taken off the pitch by Arne Slot.
Crystal Palace fans told Alexander Isak that he was a “waste of money” for Liverpool this season
Many fans and pundits expected Liverpool’s attack to be almost unstoppable this season.
However, due to the lack of match fitness that Isak has and the fact that Florian Wirtz hasn’t fully settled in yet, things haven’t been going all that great for Liverpool’s attack.
Hugo Ekitike has been the shining light for the Anfield outfit this season, but since he got himself suspended during the Reds’ Carabao Cup tie against Southampton, he was unavailable for Saturday’s game.
This is where many thought that Isak would come into his own and prove why Liverpool chose to spend £125million on him, but instead, he was met with ridicule from Palace’s fans, who chanted that he was a “waste of money” for Liverpool.
That is, according to The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, who shared what Palace’s fans were doing via his personal X account.
“Isak is replaced by Nguomha, and with Crystal Palace still 1-0 up,” he wrote.
“The home fans choose to chant ‘what a waste of money’ to #LFC record signing who had a couple of good chances but, ultimately, had a frustrating afternoon.”
Alexander Isak needs to prove why Liverpool spent £125million on him
Throughout the entire summer transfer window, it was clear that Liverpool wanted to sign Isak before the season kicked off.
However, due to Newcastle’s stubbornness, the Sweden international ended up joining on deadline day, which meant that he hadn’t played any proper football since the end of the 2024-25 season.
This means that Isak has been trying to build his match fitness up ever since making the switch to Anfield, and although he’s getting there now, his performances show how far behind his teammates he actually is.
As mentioned, Ekitike has been a shining light for Liverpool, and even though he was only suspended for Saturday’s game, it was clear how much Slot missed him.
At the moment, it feels silly for Liverpool to have broken the British record transfer fee to sign Isak, especially with the multiple chances he missed against Oliver Glasner’s men.
Here’s hoping that the striker’s next few performances are much better than what has been on display so far.
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