EPL: Liverpool deliver gritty victory over Crystal Palace to lay down marker

Liverpool’s gritty win over Crystal Palace reinforces a sense that the currents of circumstance have shifted in their direction.

Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Photo: Getty Images

Crystal Palace 0
Liverpool 2 (Milner 45 pen, Mane 90+3)
at Selhurst Park

Every Premier League champion needs certain things to go right. In the tracks of every title-winning campaign, one can retrospectively discern the little breaks of fate, fortune and finance that facilitate the conquest.

If Liverpool look like Manchester City’s most ominous challengers, it is not just because Jurgen Klopp’s team appear formidable, but also because there is a sense that the currents of circumstance have shifted in their direction.

Getting the purchase of Alisson over the line; getting Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah back from the World Cup early, and Roberto Firmino probably earlier than expected; and latterly the injury to City’s key player Kevin De Bruyne (though it scarcely seemed to slow Pep Guardiola’s team on Sunday). The cards have fallen in Liverpool’s favour. Now it is time for Klopp’s team to play their hand.

This was the sort of gritty victory on which title wins are built, against excellent opposition: Crystal Palace were impressively resilient and packed a real threat on the break, a credit to the management of Roy Hodgson, whose spell as Liverpool manager was inglorious but who has few equals at instilling discipline and nous in mid-sized Premier League teams.

Two excellent displays by two young English defenders caught the eye: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, superb for Palace before his late dismissal, and Joe Gomez, outstanding at centre back for Liverpool.

Exorcising ghosts helps too, and this assignment brought Liverpool back to the scene of a defining trauma from their most-recent serious title tilt — the 3-3 draw in the dying embers of the 2013-14 season. Only one player who featured in that game was on the pitch here, though: Mamadou Sakho, part of the Liverpool defence that disintegrated that day, now marshalling Palace’s back four. Sakho had an early tester when a short pass played him into trouble, but he showed strength and poise to win the 50-50 with Salah.

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is fouled by Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Crystal Palace, leading to a red card and a penalty goal for Liverpool. Photo: Getty Images

Can the magic trio of Salah, Firmino and Mane click again? Last year they played with the sort of breathtaking synchronicity that may be a harbinger of sustained brilliance — or may be an ephemeral magic that proves hard to recapture.

Can they still thrive now that they are one of the most feared front threes in world football? In the first 20 minutes, the sort of slick combination play that regularly unlocked teams last season was successfully thwarted by a Palace back four hyper-attuned to their threat. Wan-Bissaka, the richly promising 20-year-old right back, produced an excellent sliding challenge as Mane threatened to burgle his way down the byline.

Liverpool, though, have beefed up their creative power from deep. Naby Keita, the brilliant do-it-all midfielder signed from RB Leipzig, was excellent against West Ham United on the opening weekend and nearly produced a telling contribution here, clipping a lofted ball over Palace’s defence. Salah killed the ball with his first touch but overcooked his second, an attempted lob that sailed over the bar.

When Liverpool did find the net, it was ruled out. A teasing cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold induced a collision between Wayne Hennessey, Wan-Bissaka and Mane which saw the ball trickle into the goal, but it was predictably and probably correctly disallowed for a foul on Hennessey, who had claimed before he was clattered. That moment aside, Hennessey, whose presence in this team at the expense of the summer signing Vicente Guaita has been a surprise, was looking steadier.

Liverpool’s goalkeeping succession has been more of the uncontested variety, with Alisson starting on the day that Loris Karius’s move to Besiktas was widely reported. After a clean sheet against West Ham, he came within inches of losing his unblemished record when Andros Townsend — in his natural habitat, 25 yards out to the right of goal — curled a wickedly dipping shot on to the crossbar.

Palace were defending with organisation and appetite for the challenge, but having stymied Liverpool from open play, were denied parity at halftime by a marginal penalty decision. Salah jinked in the box and Sakho’s groping right boot was adjudged to have clipped him. James Milner rolled the penalty to Hennessey’s left. Salah was assailed by chants of “Cheat, cheat, cheat” as the teams trooped off at halftime.

Who knows if the jeers and boos were still ringing in Salah’s ears when, a minute after halftime, he hared upfield on a Liverpool counter and received Milner’s perfect pass with only Hennessey to beat. His touch was uncharacteristically heavy and he bungled the chance, though credit also had to go to the goalkeeper for spreading himself bravely at the forward’s feet.

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp applauds supporters. Photo: AP

Palace retained a threat of their own and when Wilfried Zaha galloped at Alexander-Arnold, the Liverpool right back had no choice but to bring him down. From the resulting free kick, Luka Milivojevic saw an effort that was arrowing towards the top corner tipped away by Alisson. On the touchline, Klopp fulminated. Alisson was being pressed into service more and more, and from a corner he had to stretch to palm away Christian Benteke’s header, with Zaha lurking dangerously.

Benteke was replaced by the imposing Norwegian Alexander Sorloth as Palace sought an equaliser. Perhaps it was his presence in the penalty area that discombobulated Alexander- Arnold when Townsend pinged over a cross from the right, as he was caught under the ball and a pocket of space suddenly appeared for Zaha at the back post. His shot was well-struck and took a slight deflection but Alisson did well to clutch it to his body.

Then came the moment that killed off Palace’s hopes. As they poured forward in search of a leveller, they lost possession and Liverpool cut them open. Firmino’s clever pass put Salah clean through on goal and though Wan-Bissaka managed to catch up with him, he mistimed his challenge and brought Salah down. The referee Michael Oliver had no option but to send him off, sparking a generous ovation for a young player who had performed commendably up to that point.

When Adam Lallana, on as a substitute, conceded a late free kick, it looked like providing a late chance for Palace, but instead it led to the sucker punch. Virgil van Dijk’s defensive header was ferried upfield by Salah, who played in Mane. He held off Patrick van Aanholt and sealed Liverpool’s victory.

THE TIMES