Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Review
Liverpool secured their position at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, extending their impressive head-to-head record to just one loss in the last 15 encounters. The transition from Jürgen Klopp to Arne Slot has been so smooth that this victory in London would mark Liverpool’s third-highest points total after seven games in Premier League history.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace was still searching for their first league win of the season, and it was evident for most of the first half which team was in better form. Although Eddie Nketiah scored for the hosts in the first minute, the goal was disallowed for offside, and they did not create any further chances until the end of the first half.
Liverpool scored against Dean Henderson shortly after, with Diogo Jota getting in front of Trevoh Chalobah to convert Cody Gakpo’s low cross. From that point on, the visitors controlled possession, but a series of mistakes from Palace prevented them from maintaining the ball for long. Despite their territorial advantage, Liverpool struggled to create many chances, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot from the edge of the box being the closest they came, as Henderson managed to deflect it away. Alisson Becker’s crucial save from Ismaïla Sarr just before halftime served as a reminder that Liverpool couldn’t take their lead for granted.
After the break, Slot’s team continued to dominate and nearly increased their lead when Henderson stopped a close-range shot from Mohamed Salah. Jota missed a header shortly after, but as the second half progressed, Palace gained confidence and began to pose a threat. Nketiah forced Alisson into a save, and Eberechi Eze tested the Brazilian with a shot from the edge of the box. At the other end, Dominik Szoboszlai unleashed a powerful long-range shot, but it went straight to Henderson, who easily caught it.
As the match approached its end, Will Hughes’ volley from just outside the box narrowly missed the top corner, with Vítězslav Jaroš now in goal after Alisson had to leave due to injury. One of the Czech international’s first actions was to stop Eze as Palace ramped up the pressure. However, they ultimately failed to secure the equalizer they needed, allowing the Merseyside team to maintain a one-point lead at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Palace remains in the relegation zone.