Crystal Palace 0, Liverpool 2: First Thoughts

Liverpool escape from Selhurst Park with all three points after a hard fought victory.

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Crystal Palace 0 - 2 Liverpool

Palace: N/A
Liverpool: Milner 45’ (Pen), Mane 90+3

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• Pre-match Thought: With our front and backlines basically picking themselves at the moment, the only question mark was over the midfield trio. Well, after last week’s fantastic performance, Georigino Wijnaldum, James Milner, and Naby Keita all keep their places. Which is a long way of saying: our line up is unchanged from last week. Interestingly, Simon Mignolet makes the bench over Loris Karius, indicating that the German shot stopper might be on the way out. Newboy Fabinho will not make his Liverpool debut tonight since he didn’t even make the bench. Incredible that we’re now signing £40+ million on Brazilian internationals who don’t even make the bench. These are good times to be a Liverpool fan. Bring on the Fightin’ Roys. Up the Mighty Reds.
• Things are pretty quiet in the opening 10 minutes as Palace have been compact and composed when defending in the final third. Liverpool have had a little luck on the break, which seems the likeliest path through at the moment.
• Twenty minutes on and Liverpool finally find the back of the net, but only after Sadio Mane clatters into the Palace keeper, causing him to spill it over the line. The goal is rightfully chalked off for a foul.
• The game went from a nervy affair to end to end craziness with the flip of a switch. Keita skinned a defender and plays in Salah with an inch-perfect ball pass over the top, but the Egyptian cannot find the target. Then Palace come back and hit the post, beating Alisson at full stretch. Game on.
• Zaha barges into Alexander-Arnold and falls over. Foul on TAA, naturally. You do you, Premier League refs.
• Penalty! Mohamed Salah finally earns a penalty after being mauled in the box! This time by our old pal Mamadou Sakho. Once a Red...
• GOAL! Milner steps up to the spot, sends the keeper the wrong way, and slots. 1-0 to the Reds!
• Halftime Thought: Things were mighty testy throughout the half, without either side really creating much going forward. Liverpool have been the dominant side, but just haven’t quite managed to break through Palace’s low block. Things started opening up as the half drew to a close, so that, plus the goal, should hopefully bode well for the second half.
• Liverpool nearly (and should have!) made it two right after the restart. Robertson is played into acres of space, picks our a streaking Salah, who once again cannot beat the keeper. Salah gathers the saved shot, and picks out Keita, but the Guinean cannot turn the shot on target.
• Alisson makes his first big save of his Liverpool career, perfectly reading a dangerous free kick and turning the shot that was destined for the top corner around the post. And a minute later, he gets down to save a Benteke header (which was blown for offside, but still)!
• Palace have come out swinging in the second half. This has opened up some space on the break, but it’s also terrifying.
• Salah shows incredible technique to put a volley on target from outside the box, but and a Palace deflection turned it wide. Still, it was a stunning strike.
• Milner makes way for Jordan Henderson. Honestly, this match has been screaming out for Hendo. Give ‘em hell, Captain.
• Zaha with a really excellent chance following a missed clearance by TAA. However, the winger can only hit it directly at Alisson, who calmly collects it.
• RED CARD! Wan-Bissaka cynically takes down Salah as the last defender just outside of the box, and Palace are down to ten men.
• With three minutes plus stoppage time, Adam Lallana comes on for Keita.
• GOAL!! The ball falls to Mo Salah after a Palace corner, and the break is on. Salah plays Mane through, and Mane rounds the keeper (with some difficulty) to secure all three points.
• Daniel Sturridge comes on for Firmino for about the last thirty seconds.
• Final Whistle Thought: That was about as stressful as expected, but Liverpool escape Selhurst Park with a hard fought three points and are second on goal differential.

We’ll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today’s game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven’t already, join the community on the Liverpool Offside, where we’ll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com