Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse when the Champions League holders crashed out of the English League Cup with a 2-1 defeat away to Championship side Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.
In the day’s other League Cup matches, Japan’s Junichi Inamoto struck in extra time against his former club as West Brom won 3-2 away to Premiership rivals Fulham, while high-flying Wigan needed an extra 30 minutes to beat championship outfit Watford.
Fresh from their 2-0 Premier League defeat against Fulham, Liverpool suffered more misery in London when Dougie Freedman headed in Michael Hughes’s cross in the 37th minute.
Returning Reds captain Steven Gerrard levelled three minutes later when the England midfielder struck from 20 yards to score his 50th goal for the club.
But Palace, relegated from the top flight last season, had the last word when Hughes again turned provider for Marco Reich who shot home in the 66th minute.
Liverpool, last season’s beaten League Cup finalists, came into this match a huge 18 points behind Premiership leaders and reigning champions Chelsea — the League Cup holders — and badly in need of a victory.
Palace took the lead when Freedman turned in Hughes’s cross from the left.
However, out of nothing, Gerrard side-footed the equaliser six minutes before half-time.
The Eagles, relegated from the Premiership last season, had a second-half penalty appeal turned down but it didn’t matter when Reich shot past Liverpool keeper Scott Carson and Palace survived four minutes of injury time for a memorable victory.
At Craven Cottage, Robert Earnshaw put West Brom 1-0 up after seizing on Inamoto’s pass in the third minute before Luis Boa Morte levelled after the hour mark.
Fulham keeper Tony Warner then gifted the Baggies a second goal when he miscontrolled a back pass and Nwankwo Kanu scored in the 88th minute. However, Heidar Helguson’s header in the last minute forced extra time.
Inamoto, though, settled the tie with a brilliant 30-yard strike, although the Baggies did have Paul Robinson sent off.
Goalless at full-time, Ryan Taylor’s penalty and Andreas Johansson’s double saw Wigan past a spirited Watford.
Meanwhile, an Arsenal side showing 10 changes from last weekend’s 1-0 Premiership victory over Manchester City won 3-0 away to top-flight rivals Sunderland.
Fans at the Stadium of Light were charged just £5 per head for a ticket and an impressive crowd of more than 47 000 spectators turned up at the north-east venue.
Ivorian fullback Emmanuel Eboue’s long-range drive gave the Gunners the lead and the result was secured thanks to Robin van Persie’s 67th-minute penalty before the Dutchman scored again.
Blackburn, who won the League Cup in 2002, were another Premiership side who made it through into the last 16 with a 3-0 win at home to Leeds, their fifth victory in six games.
Brett Emerton scored Rovers’ first and the game was settled when Paul Dickov tapped in Morten Gamst Pedersen’s cross. Leeds ended the match with 10 men as Gylfi Einarsson was sent off late on before Lucas Neill scored.
Elsewhere Kevin Phillips’s first-half goal was good enough to give Premiership Aston Villa a 1-0 win against Burnley, while in the battle between the top two teams in the championship, Dave Kitson’s double helped Reading beat Sheffield United 2-0.
League-one Doncaster, who knocked out Premiership Manchester City in the previous round, continued their progress with a 2-0 win over divisional rivals Gillingham after substitute Paul Heffernan scored twice in the last six minutes.
Bottom-of-the-championship Millwall needed a last-ditch David Livermore goal to see off league-two strugglers Mansfield 3-2. — Sapa-AFP