Not long ago, Selhurst Park served as a house of horrors for Liverpool. Yet, the Reds won for the fifth straight time at the ground, beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Monday evening.
In a template approach, Palace played like the away side, sitting deep and only looking to counter-attack. The Reds spent most of the first half camped in Palace’s half but struggled to completely break the Eagles down.
Apart from an error by Naby Keita that allowed Andres Townshend to unleash a shot from distance that hit the crossbar, Palace showed little in the entire half. Liverpool dominated the home side.
Then in the closing minutes of the first half, referee Michael Oliver penalised Mamadou Sakho for a foul on Mohamed Salah in the area and pointed to the spot. The idea that the decision is even remotely controversial is comical. Sakho clutched and clipped Salah twice before the Egyptian fell, leaving no doubt, despite any consideration to the contrary.
Palace played more aggressively in the second half. As the Eagles pushed higher, looking to equalize, Liverpool searched for space behind the defence. A handful of blistering breaks could have broken the game wide open were the visitors in midseason form.
One of the quick counter-attacks resulted in a desperate last-ditch challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka on Salah, resulting in a 75th-minute red card. While the Reds did not immediately capitalize on the man advantage, Sadio Mané would eventually stretch the Palace defence and Liverpool’s lead, ensuring an easy last few minutes.
Here are four findings from the match:
