Marc Guehi’s celebration in Crystal Palace’s late 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday has got Reds fans talking about the defender’s future.
Palace ended Liverpool’s 100% start to the season with victory in front of their fans, impressively extending their 18-game unbeaten run in the process.
Ismaila Sarr put the Eagles ahead early on, only for Federico Chiesa to net an 87th-minute equaliser in controversial circumstances as Palace felt Mohamed Salah had handled Ryan Gravenberch’s cross in the build up to the goal.
“The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Salah handled the ball in the build-up,” the Premier League posted via their Match Centre account on X.
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Palace, though, retook the lead deep into second half injury time through Nketiah, marking just his fourth Premier League goal for the Eagles since his arrival from Arsenal last summer.
Guehi is credited with the assist for the 97th-minute winner but as his Palace teammates sprinted towards the ecstatic Selhurst Park support, fans noticed the same thing about the England international.
Guehi reaction to Palace goal has fans talking
As Nketiah and co. joyously celebrated, Guehi instead appeared to drop his head and walk back towards the halfway line.
Guehi came close to joining Liverpool on deadline day, and while a deal had been agreed between all parties, Palace pulled the plug on the transfer as they were unable to land a replacement.
While the Palace captain acted with dignity throughout the saga, and in the weeks since, his reaction to Nketiah’s late goal will have prompted speculation that his head has been turned.
“Guehi didn’t celebrate the goal when it was scored. So obvious he has his heart set at Anfield,” one fan noted after Saturday’s game in the capital.
“Guehi didn’t celebrate with Palace his head’s fully turned,” another followed up, while a third added: “Guehi not celebrating the Palace goal . . . ? Interesting.”
Another Liverpool fan pleaded with the defender to move to Anfield, posting: “Guehi, please put on a Liverpool shirt, please, I’m begging you, brother please.”
Liverpool may make January move for Palace captain
Guehi’s contract is up at the end of the season, however it’s expected that Liverpool will firm up their interest in the 25-year-old in January following Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending ACL injury on his debut against Southampton in midweek.
“He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year,” Slot said of the teenage centre-back on Friday.
“Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game... it's very hard to take the positive side.
“There's never a positive side - but you always try to look at a positive side and that is that he is still so young, so he has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that.”
Topics: Crystal Palace, Football, Liverpool, Marc Guehi, Premier League
Ben McAleer