Arne Slot defended his team selection after Liverpool's Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace but accepted his side's current run of form does not match the club's "standards".

The reigning Premier League champions have now lost six of their last seven games across all competitions, with a 3-0 defeat at Anfield to Palace ending their Carabao Cup aspirations.

Slot was criticised for the starting XI and subs he picked to face Palace, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp saying: "It was the wrong team. He picked a team that made it really difficult for himself."

Slot opted to leave star players such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk out of his squad, made 10 changes to his starting XI from the previous game at Brentford and filled his bench with inexperienced youngsters.

"Everybody can have [their] opinion about it but with the squad we have - maybe 15, 16 first-team players available - this is the choice I've made," he told Sky Sports afterwards.

However, he also admitted that his side have failed to meet expectations in recent weeks. "It's not of Liverpool's standards to lose five out of six, or six out of seven," said Slot.

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