Arne Slot’s Liverpool climbed into the Premier League’s top four on Saturday, though their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace was far more uncomfortable than the scoreline suggests.
Despite the three points at Anfield, the Reds were arguably second-best for large stretches, allowing the Eagles to pepper the home goal with 14 attempts.
In a game defined by clinical finishing rather than dominance, Liverpool’s superior quality in the final third spared their blushes against an adventurous Palace side.
Alexander Isak got the ball rolling for Liverpool, after an even back-and-forth affair had been played out for most of the first half, before soon-to-be free agent Andy Robertson handed the Reds a comfortable two-goal cushion when powering home the hosts second strike on the 40th-minute mark.
The narrative of the match shifted dramatically in the second period when Liverpool’s defensive composure momentarily fractured. Rather than extending their lead, the champions found themselves under siege after Daniel Muñoz found the net for Crystal Palace.
The goal was the definition of a “game-changer,” not just for the scoreline, but for the controversy it sparked. Replays suggested a potential foul in the phase of play leading up to the strike, but the decision went against Arne Slot’s men. This moment of friction rattled the Reds, turning what should have been a routine win into a test of mental resilience as Palace suddenly found the belief to press for an equaliser.
But the three points were secured, after some unrest at Anfield, when Florian Wirtz beat Dean Henderson in stoppage time with a stunning strike.
The 3-1 win would have been an entertaining watch for the neutral, but a nerve-wracking one for the Liverpool natives to take in, with five major talking points to look back on from the Reds 17th Premier League victory of the campaign.
1. Isak’s goal duck is over
While Wirtz would steal most of the acclaim at the full-time whistle for his sumptuous strike in the 96th minute, the most pleased man inside all of Anfield, at the end of the 3-1 win, would’ve been Alexander Isak.
The significance of the breakthrough cannot be overstated for the Swedish international. After a grueling season defined more by the treatment table than the pitch, Isak’s strike provided his first league goal since December 14th.
For Arne Slot, seeing his star forward find the net is a massive boost; it marks the end of a difficult transitional period for Isak and provides Liverpool with a much-needed clinical edge heading into the season’s final stretch.
With Hugo Ekitike sidelined for the foreseeable future, Slot will know he needs to depend on the ex-Newcastle United marksman to bag some invaluable goals between now and the end of the season, and he was efficient on Saturday.
2. Robertson solidifies his status as a great
Robertson must have watched the Merseyside Derby, wishing he could be a hero for the Reds like Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, as he got on the scoresheet against Palace.
The Scotsman’s goal came at a crucial time in the contest, as Liverpool extended their precarious lead to two, just before the half-time whistle was sounded.
Noted as being “delighted” with his goal, when the dust had settled on the 3-1 win, Robertson has only solidified his status as a modern-day great at Anfield even more, with this timely effort rippling the back of the busy Palace net.
3. Palace’s goal was controversial
While Liverpool fans everywhere jumped for joy when Robertson handed his side. a two-goal advantage in the first half, they would have felt irked by the manner in which Palace got themselves back into the contest 15 minutes before full time.
Indeed, Daniel Munoz’s effort, which proved to be only a consolation strike, was strewn in controversy, as he firmly powered home a goal into an empty net, while Freddie Woodman stayed on the ground due to an injury.
While the old adage suggests playing to the whistle, Liverpool could be forgiven for their frustration over a goal that left a distinctly bitter taste. It was a cruel twist on an otherwise landmark afternoon for Freddie Woodman; handed a surprise start as Arne Slot’s first-choice keeper, the shot-stopper had performed valiantly, keeping the Eagles at bay with a string of heroic saves before the controversial breakthrough for Palace.
4.Liverpool has a worrying double injury blow
Thrust into the spotlight for his Premier League debut with the Merseyside titans, Freddie Woodman faced a baptism of fire. With both Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili sidelined, the responsibility fell to the third-choice keeper and he was anything but a spectator.
Rather than crumbling under the Anfield spotlight, Woodman remained unfazed by a relentless Palace onslaught, producing five acrobatic saves that effectively anchored Liverpool’s top-five charge.
Matching Simon Mignolet’s record, when he first started for Liverpool in 2013, the ex-Preston North End stopper’s big day would unfortunately turn sour when he went down with a nasty knock on the 71st-minute mark.
Muñoz’s goal may have been disputed, but the real blow for Liverpool was the potential loss of Woodman. Slot now faces a full-blown crisis between the sticks, with his third-choice keeper potentially adding to a mounting list of casualties in the most vulnerable position on the pitch.
Alongside Woodman going down, Salah also had to come off due to an injury he sustained, with a deep anxiety that this might well be his final outing at Anfield, depending on how serious the setback is.
Taking in the rapturous applause when replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, Salah did look notably emotional, with question marks over the Egyptian’s injury situation.
5. Liverpool finally breaks their jinx
Regardless of the Salah situation worrying those with a Reds persuasion, Liverpool fans will be delighted that their club’s long-standing Palace jinx is finally over.
Heading into today’s Premier League contest, Palace had already beaten Slot and Co. three times this season, in three different competitions.
A fourth victory wasn’t forthcoming, though, as Liverpool have now leapfrogged Aston Villa into fourth position in the Premier League, off the back of finally putting this curse to bed.
