Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2
Milivojevic 13 Mane 49 Salah 84
Roy Hodgson’s Route 1 tactics worked well in the first half and kept Liverpool on the back foot.
At the other end in 11 minutes a pinpoint Salah corner was headed by Van Dijk but when Mane tried a flick to redirect the ball, his header just beat the post.
Then keeper Wayne Hennessey fired a goal kick into outer space and Benteke won a flick-on into the box and keeper Karius rashly clattered Zaha.
Palace skipper Luka Milivojevic then buried his fourth penalty in seven games.
That goal vindicated Hodgson’s pragmatic approach by giving the home team the lead against their more talented visitors.
HT score : Palace 1 Liverpool 0
Then Milner’s low cross allowed Mane to slot sweetly from seven yards.
1-1 after 49 and all to play for.
I had never seen a game in which Roberto Firmino looked so lightweight and was now wondering whether the powderpuff Wijnaldum would begin to participate during the next 40 minutes.
In 51, Salah chested an awkward ball and hooked an ambitious left-footy volley a yard past the top corner.
Then Mane handled the ball thinking he had been fouled. He was lucky not to be sent off. Palace were given a free-kick outside the box which Karius saved comfortably.
In 64, Oxy and Lallana came on for Mane and Wijnaldum, so Klopp must have been even less impressed by the Dutchman than I was.
Within three minutes Lallana challenged Milivojevic and fell awkwardly. Having only started one league match this season, he went off injured off after four minutes.
In 79 we saw Salah miss a half-chance.
Then Oxlade hit a deep cross from the right and Andrew Robertson reversed the ball across the six-yard line. Firmino couldn’t reach it but Salah killed the ball with his left foot and poked it in with his right.
And Liverpool won 2-1.
Also on ANR : http://arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/wp/why-englands-playmakers-should-be-john-stones-and-raheem-sterling/