MY ACCOUNT
Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to nine points with a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded a remarkable 7-0 victory in this exact fixture last season and were soon in command as Virgil van Dijk and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struck in the first half at Selhurst Park.
Palace deservedly pulled one back through Odsonne Edouard just after the break, but Fabinho sealed all three points from the penalty spot in the closing stages.
Victory saw Liverpool reduce City’s lead at the summit after they were held by Southampton on Saturday, while the Reds still have a game in hand.
A deflected Jordan Henderson strike forced the first save of the contest from Vicente Guaita, but the Palace goalkeeper had no chance of stopping Van Dijk’s thumping header from Andrew Robertson’s out-swinging corner a minute later.
Liverpool doubled their lead just past the half-hour mark as Oxlade-Chamberlain brought down Robertson’s inviting delivery and hammered home.
Alisson then denied Michael Olise as Palace looked to respond, while Jean-Phillipe Mateta saw his strike deflected wide after rounding the Brazil international.
Conor Gallagher headed a glorious point-blank chance wide immediately after the interval, before Alisson thwarted an inventive Edouard flick.
Palace eventually breached the Liverpool goal after 55 minutes when Mateta latched on to Jeffrey Schlupp’s immense throughball and selflessly squared to Edouard for a tap-in.
Joachim Andersen fired narrowly wide moments after and Alisson had to race back to parry Olise’s chip, as Liverpool negotiated a spell of sustained pressure.
Klopp’s side secured all three points after a lengthy VAR check adjudged Guaita to have fouled Diogo Jota, with Fabinho converting from 12 yards.
What does it mean? Reds end London hoodoo to close gap on leaders
Liverpool had not won any of their previous four top-flight visits to London (D3 L1), but they ended that streak against Palace, who have now lost 10 in a row to the Reds in the league.
The Eagles’ last five defeats in the competition against Klopp’s side have now come at an aggregate score of 19-1 as Liverpool moved within nine of leaders City, still with a game in hand over Pep Guardiola’s side.
Remarkable Robertson
Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold continue to push the boundaries of what is expected by full-backs in the modern game, but it was the former who shone with two assists in south London.
That takes his tally to 43 Premier League assists since the start of the 2017-18 season, moving the left-back level with Alexander-Arnold for the most assists by a defender in that period, while only Kevin De Bruyne (52) has made more overall.
Amazing Alisson
Liverpool owe a debt of gratitude to Alisson for his performance here. The Brazil goalkeeper made four saves against Palace, with an especially impressive stop to deny Olise in the second half.
Only against Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United (four against both) has he had to produce as many saves in the competition this season.
Key Opta facts
– Crystal Palace’s 10-game losing run against Liverpool in the Premier League is now their outright longest streak of defeats against a specific opponent in their league history, surpassing a nine-game run against Tottenham between 2015-2019.
– Jurgen Klopp versus Patrick Vieira is the 15th instance of a Premier League match between German and French managers – German managers remain without defeat in these contests (P15 W10 D5 L0 F38 A14).
– Virgil van Dijk’s opener was his 10th headed goal in the Premier League for Liverpool – the only defender to score more headers in the competition for the Reds is Sami Hyypia (17).
– There have been four instances of two French players combining for a goal in the Premier League this season, with Crystal Palace accounting for each one.
– Liverpool’s penalty was the 169th spot-kick that they have been awarded in the Premier League, the joint-most in the competition’s history along with Manchester United.
What’s next?
Liverpool’s next league fixture sees them host Leicester City on February 10. Palace visit Norwich City the day before.
