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Alexis Mac Allister has called on Liverpool fans to remain upbeat following the Reds' maiden Premier League loss of the campaign at Crystal Palace.
Federico Chiesa appeared to have secured a point for Arne Slot's side with his 87th-minute equalizer, but Eddie Nketiah struck a devastating 97th-minute winner for the Eagles. Despite the 2-1 setback, Liverpool maintains its position at the summit of the table.
The Reds hold a three-point cushion over second-placed Palace, though Arsenal could overtake the Eagles and narrow the Reds' lead to just two points should the Gunners overcome Newcastle on Sunday. Mac Allister featured in the engine room at Selhurst Park, lasting 65 minutes before making way for Curtis Jones.
The Argentina midfielder acknowledged it was a frustrating reverse against Palace, a team that is enjoying an excellent run of form, with Liverpool once again failing to reach its peak performance levels.
However, the 26-year-old has urged supporters to stay optimistic as he turned his attention to the Reds' European clash with Galatasaray on Tuesday.
"Disappointing afternoon," he admitted on Instagram. "Time to analyse, rest, and go again on Tuesday. Long season ahead, so let's keep positive and go for it."
Mac Allister remains among several players still working toward their best form for Liverpool as he continues his recovery from a lengthy injury layoff.
The Argentine completed the final month of last season after helping the Reds secure the Premier League title, but was subsequently ruled out for nearly three months before returning to preseason action at the end of July.
He has featured seven times for Liverpool this campaign, starting all five of his Premier League matches. However, he hasn't managed to play beyond 65 minutes since missing the Reds' trip to Newcastle through injury last month.
Prior to the Palace clash, Slot dismissed fitness concerns surrounding Mac Allister but acknowledged he is still catching up after initially being scheduled to return at the beginning of preseason.
"He doesn't have to recover from last season," the Dutchman said. "We need to build him after having such a poor preseason; he missed out two or three months and the first few weeks of preseason.
"That is also an example like Alex (Isak) where we try to manage his minutes to get him fit for the long term, not for the moment. That is maybe the difference between being a manager of a club to being a manager of a national team, where you make maybe different choices.
"I don't know, I've never managed a national team. We are definitely looking at him in a way that we try to prepare him for three games a week because that is eventually where he needs to go to, like Alex.
"To be fair, we were all expecting him to start the first day of pre-season, that's why we took him out in the end [of the season], to have him ready for the first day of preseason.
"But it took him a bit longer, which sometimes happens with injuries. As a result of that, we say in Holland he walks behind the music, you say he's playing catch-up."
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