Crystal Palace are set to sack manager Pierre Sage after Sunday's 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool left the club bottom of the Premier League, according to reports from The Athletic.

The defeat at Selhurst Park was Palace's fourth league loss in a row and left them with seven points from their opening 10 matches. They have won only two league games all season and have conceded 24 goals, the worst defensive record in the division.

Sage was appointed in June as the successor to Oliver Glasner, signing a three-year contract after impressing in France with Lens. His time in charge has lasted only 16 games, and he is set to become the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season.

Why Palace have acted now

Palace have been winless in the league since 11 October, and the Liverpool defeat was described in reports as the final straw after a run of poor results. The club's chiefs are expected to make the change during the international break, giving a new manager time to work with the squad before league football resumes.

Palace's next league match is away to Coventry City on Saturday, 21 November. Whoever takes over will inherit a side at the foot of the table, but with most of the season still to play and only a small gap to the teams above them.

When asked after the Liverpool game whether he expected to remain in charge after the international break, Sage replied: "Better than you, I think." He added that his job was not the most important thing and that finding an efficient solution for the team and the club mattered more.

Who could replace Sage?

Thomas Frank has emerged as the early frontrunner for the job, with Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira also reported to be under consideration. Coventry City manager Frank Lampard is also said to be favoured by the Selhurst Park hierarchy.

Frank and Dyche both left their previous clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest respectively, in February, while Pereira left Forest in the summer. Palace will look to appoint a successor during the two-week international break.

Sage's departure, if confirmed, would end a short and difficult spell in English football for the Frenchman, who had described the Palace job as his dream when he took it in the summer. Sources: Get French Football News and OneFootball.