Kamada: Eddie & Palace deserved that moment
Daichi Kamada was delighted that the quality of Crystal Palace’s overall performance against Liverpool was rewarded with three points – and that the 97th-minute match-winning goal also went to a deserving source in Eddie Nketiah.
The Japan international enjoyed an industrious showing for Palace in the centre of midfield, showing off his full range of passing as the Eagles dominated the Premier League champions in the first-half at Selhurst Park – albeit with only Ismaïla Sarr’s early goal, stemming from Kamada’s corner, to show for it.
But after Liverpool equalised late on, Palace kept pressing – and sparked jubilant scenes in SE25 when Nketiah, who only made his first appearance of the season last weekend after recovering from an injury in pre-season, struck a winner right at the death.
Kamada told Palace TV: “We performed very well today, and we deserved to win – and especially [with] Eddie's goal. He deserved this goal.
“We were all happy for Eddie's goal. He’s had a difficult time in Palace, but he trained a lot, he did a lot of hard work.
We all know we are like a family, and we're all happy for his goal
—Daichi Kamada
"We all know we are like a family, and we're all happy for his goal.
“I think we should have scored at least one or two [more in the first-half]. And then, yeah, obviously the second-half, they are one of the best teams in the world now, and it was a difficult game in the second-half for us, because we didn't score in the first-half.
“But this is also football and we won the game, so everything's fine!”
Palace’s win moved them up to second in the Premier League table; saw them match the club’s all-time record of 18 consecutive matches unbeaten; and saw them put an end to Liverpool’s perfect start to the 2025/26 campaign.
These truly have the feel of halcyon days for the Eagles, but Kamada remains focused on the task in hand – with Palace’s first assignment in the UEFA Conference League proper, away to Dynamo Kyiv, up next in midweek.
Kamada said: “We have to think about the next game. We have to focus on every [single] next game.
“We don't have to think that we don't lose yet, we just prepare for the next game and we have to play [it], that’s what we have to do. That’s it.”