Liverpool have kicked the season off with two wins from two, ensuring that they keep the pace with reigning champions Manchester City. The Reds had to fight for the win tonight against a very game Crystal Palace side who, under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson, appear to be going from strength to strength. Still, that’s not exactly what their fans will want to be hearing right now, given that they lost a game that they’ll feel they could’ve got something from.
Valiant effort
Palace had their chances and came rushing out of the gates from the very first whistle, showing signs of a team full of confidence. Alas, they were coming up against the best version of Liverpool Football Club that we’ve seen in years, with Jurgen Klopp assembling a team capable of attacking from anywhere on the pitch.
Still, it took until the stroke of half time for them to find any real success, with James Milner slotting the visitors ahead from the penalty spot after Mohamed Salah was fouled by Mamadou Sakho.
It was a frustrating way to end a first half which saw the Eagles more than hold their own, and as the second half went on, it felt like Palace would once again live to rue their missed chances. They had several good attempts on goal but were thwarted every single time, and in the dying minutes of the game Sadio Mane wrapped up the points to send Liverpool joint top of the table.
Priority shift
Crystal Palace will move on to another tough game against Watford, with Liverpool now preparing to host a Brighton & Hove Albion side coming off of a huge victory against Manchester United. Both teams should be able to meet their respective objectives this season with relative ease, and for Liverpool, the major test is going to be whether or not they can maintain this kind of standard in the final few months of the season.
Either way, a title challenge isn’t outside the realms of possibility, especially when you’ve got Mane, Firmino and Salah firing on all cylinders.
Match Report
Crystal Palace: Hennessey (6.5), Wan-Bissaka (6), Tomkins (6), Sakho (6.5), van Aanholt (6), Townsend (6.5), Milivojevic (6.5), McArthur (6), Schlupp (6.5), Benteke (6), Zaha (6.5)
Liverpool: Alisson (7), Alexander-Arnold (7), Gomez (6.5), van Dijk (7), Robertson (6.5), Milner (7), Wijnaldum (6.5), Keita (6.5), Salah (7), Firmino (6.5), Mane (7.5)
Referee: Michael Oliver
Goals: Milner, Mane
Yellow Cards: van Aanholt, Alexander-Arnold
Red Cards: Wan-Bissaka
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