Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park to inflict a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat on the hosts and leave head coach Pierre Sage in a perilous position, with his side bottom of the table. The win ends Liverpool’s back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Fenerbahce and moves them up to fourth.
Palace substitute Eddie Nketiah pulled a goal back from the spot with the last kick of the game, but the damage was already done. Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz struck either side of half-time, and Alexander Isak added a third late on.
Alisson keeps Liverpool in the game
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, arguably Liverpool’s best player, kept his side in the contest. He produced important saves to deny Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton in a first half that also saw Palace hit the bar through Yeremy Pino. Alisson finished with six saves.
Palace’s hard work was undone five minutes before the break. Quinten Timber lost Mac Allister, who was left free to head in Szoboszlai’s free-kick. It was the Argentina international’s fifth goal of the season, as many as he managed in the whole of last season.
Liverpool’s two £100m players double the lead
Liverpool doubled their lead through two of their £100m-plus signings. Bradley Barcola found Wirtz after a swift counter-attack, and the Germany international picked out the corner to score his first league goal of the season. It ended a 12-game barren run in the competition.
With the game already sealed, Isak made it 3-0 in the 89th minute with a deflected strike. Palace then scored from the spot deep into stoppage time. Milos Kerkez was judged to have fouled fellow substitute Dario Osorio in the box, and Nketiah converted the penalty.
Sage’s position under scrutiny
Nketiah’s spot-kick prevented Sage from becoming the first Palace head coach since Frank de Boer to lose four games in a row without scoring. De Boer was sacked after his fourth defeat in that run, and Sage now faces a similar fate.
Sage avoided questions about his future. “We have to continue our work, be more efficient in what we do, I have to be really close to the players to create the atmosphere for the confidence and the initiative in the play,” he said. “For the moment, we don’t have the results expected.”
Asked whether the board still had faith in him, Sage said: “You have to ask them. In my position, I’m focused on what I have to do. I analyse what happened and try to change things. All the other decisions are not for me.”
Carra expects Palace to act. “I think that would have been one of the best Crystal Palace performances this season. Liverpool won 3-1 away from home but their goalkeeper was their best player. That tells you how well Palace did,” he said. “But I don’t think you can hang your hat on the performance, especially with a new guy into the Premier League. He’s really struggled so far.”
He added: “I don’t think you can take the risk as an owner when you think of the finances involved. Palace have been 14 seasons in the Premier League, we don’t expect them to be [bottom]. They’re an established Premier League club. I think the decision will be made, unfortunately for Pierre Sage. I think Palace will have a new manager the next time they play in the Premier League.”
Iraola on the win
Iraola said the result was important before the international break. “It was an important win for us before going into the international break,” he said. “We arrived very late Thursday night from Turkey, I know they also played, but it was important to finish with the win. Probably in the first half we struggled a little bit defensively, but after we closed the game quite well, even if I’m a little bit upset with the penalty.”
Analysis: Alisson’s reminder of his quality
Liverpool hit three at Palace, with three £100m-plus players involved in the goals: Wirtz, Isak and Barcola, who provided the assist. Yet Alisson was Liverpool’s best performer. His stop from Kamada’s volley was an exceptional reaction save, and two minutes later Liverpool took the lead. He then stretched to push away Wharton’s header before the break. On 77 minutes, with the score at 2-0, he shut down the angle to deny Pino a one-on-one.
Palace will be frustrated, as the narrative could have swung their way on another day. Alisson benefited from fortune when Pino hit the bar early on, and he lost a clean sheet to Nketiah’s late penalty. Even so, he reminded everyone why he has been the Premier League’s standout goalkeeper since arriving in 2018.
Palace’s leaky defence
Opta data highlights Palace’s problems at the back. They have conceded 24 Premier League goals this season, their most in their first 10 matches of any league campaign since 1980-81, when they also conceded 24. Only Chelsea (8) have conceded more goals from non-penalty set-pieces in the Premier League this season than Palace (6).
Liverpool, meanwhile, have earned 13 points away from home this season, more than any other side. It is their joint-most ever from their first five away matches of a league campaign.