Crystal Palace vs Liverpool. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,103.
Report and free match highlights as Harvey Elliott's fine strike wins it for Liverpool; Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty saw Crystal Palace take lead; Mohamed Salah equalised seconds after Jordan Ayew was sent off; Crystal Palace had a first-half penalty ruled out by VAR
Sunday 10 December 2023 07:32, UK
Mohamed Salah scored his 200th Liverpool goal before Harvey Elliott snatched a 2-1 victory at 10-player Crystal Palace, sending the Reds top of the Premier League.
Both sides headed into the game in differing form - Liverpool losing just one of their last 26 Premier League games, while Crystal Palace were booed off by their own fans on Wednesday after a dismal 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
But Crystal Palace were the better side for much of the encounter. It took 76 minutes for Liverpool to register a shot on target as Salah's shot was deflected home, coming less than a minute after Jordan Ayew was sent off for two yellow cards.
The hits kept coming for Crystal Palace too as their No 1 Sam Johnstone was taken off with an injury soon after with Liverpool in the ascendancy. His replacement, Remi Matthews, could do little to stop a fine curling effort from Elliott (90+1) to win the game in added time.
"I'm a very happy manager, but I know we were lucky as well. If you only win your really good games, you have no chance to be successful and today was not a really good game from us," Jurgen Klopp said after the win.
"For 76 minutes, it was a really bad performance... The last 10 or 15 minutes, we deserved it. Before that, we deserved nothing."
The Eagles had gone ahead through Jean-Philippe Mateta's 57th-minute penalty, given by VAR around two minutes after he was fouled by 20-year-old defender Jarell Quansah inside the area. He then coolly slotted past Alisson for his first Premier League goal of the season.
But Liverpool showed once again they can win even when they are not at their best, and go top of the Premier League ahead of third versus second - Aston Villa vs Arsenal - live on Sky Sports at 5.30pm. Crystal Palace remain in 14th with 16 points, now losing four of their last five league games.
It was a quiet opening 28 minutes - but the game sprang into life with a stunning Alisson save on his return from injury. Ayew whipped a ball into the area, picking out Jefferson Lerma at the back post. But his close-range effort was saved by Alisson, who tipped the ball onto the post before clawing it further off the line.
A minute later, and Crystal Palace were awarded a penalty. Virgil van Dijk clipped Odsonne Edouard from behind as he went to shoot, with referee Andy Madley rightly pointing to the spot.
But VAR intervened to check a Will Hughes foul on Wataru Endo in the build-up. It took a lengthy check on the pitchside monitor before Madley ruled out the penalty, with Van Dijk's blushes saved and yellow card rescinded.
Both managers made half-time changes. Mateta replaced Edouard, while Joe Gomez came on for Endo, pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield.
Ten minutes after the break and Mateta was key in Crystal Palace taking the lead. He was fouled in the penalty area by Quansah, which was initially waved away.
But around two minutes later, play was stopped as Madley went over to the pitchside monitor. He took considerably less time to come to a decision the second time, awarding Crystal Palace the penalty. Mateta lined it up as Liverpool continued their protests before expertly dispatching past Alisson.
Liverpool continued to labour, but in the space of a minute, their fortunes changed. Ayew was sent off for a soft second yellow - given a standing ovation by the home fans as he made his way down the tunnel - before Salah scored the equaliser.
A poor clearance from Michael Olise after Curtis Jones' initial shot fell kindly to Salah, whose strike deflected off a Palace shirt to wrong-foot Johnstone.
The Crystal Palace No1 was then taken off injured and replaced by Matthews, who could not stop the Liverpool onslaught - especially a fine finish from Elliott. Fed by Salah, the forward then lashed a superb curling effort past the goalkeeper.
Both teams could have scored another in added time. Luis Diaz thought he had, but had a strike ruled out for offside. Alisson then pushed away a threatening header from Joachim Andersen to keep Liverpool's three points intact.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah to TNT Sport:
"I think the most important thing is that we won the game. It was really tough. When we win the game and I score goals it's a great feeling. I'm happy for the record and for the team to win the game.
"I see the mentality. Just keep fighting until the end. We did it this game, last game and the game before. It's something positive we can take from that. Of course we have like a new team, six or seven new players in the starting line. We just need to give them our advice.
"They are learning a lot and they are really nice guys. There are similarities from 2019, but of course the other guys achieve a lot and we have to give them credit. But I am sure we can do something special this year."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:
"Pretty impressive from Mo… an incredible number for a super special player. I don't know how often he saved us with a goal he's scored in the right moment.
"It was a pretty loud reception in the dressing room when I gave him the shirt with 200 on the back. I don't know if he made a speech, I had to go for media work.
"Now that's off the shoulders because when you have 199, it's a bit different to 198. Now we can go for the next 100."
On Liverpool's performance: "For 76 minutes, it was a really bad performance. We didn't have rhythm changes, we didn't have any kind of accelerations, we had no timing. It was horrendous.
"There was a sign that we were a bit too passive and stuff like this. In the beginning, Crystal Palace were extremely high on confidence… They were good but we made it happen for them with bad passes and losing the ball in the wrong moment.
"But what we did from 76 to the 105 or whatever, that was really because we know up against 10 men, there can be more problems. We really turned the game around, the subs were super influential.
"That's actually the story so far this season that what we bring from the bench has a real impact. That's why we could do it.
"But if Harvey miss-hits the ball, it's a draw. If Mo is not there and the ball doesn't get deflected, we lose the game.
"I know it's tough. These boys play an awful lot of football and sometimes the inner enemy is a bit louder than in other moments. Today, I saw a lot of boys struggling with that. You can change from outside from the bench and you can change it, but we should not come into that situation much more often."
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson:
"I'm gutted for the players, because I'm gutted about the way the game panned out. I think having to play the game with 10 men for the last 15 or 20 minutes was unbelievably harsh on us. I don't believe it was worthy of the way we played.
"To play with ten men for the last 15-plus minutes, in a game up to that point we'd dealt with well, was a really, really harsh outcome and certainly not worthy of what the team produced up to that point.
"It's saddening to watch games like that, where a team does so well as the boys did, and worked so hard against all the odds, and have to go along having lost two goals to one.
"The red card was unbelievably harsh, the fouls committed by both teams was more or less the same and I do not think we deserved nine yellow cards, even if I probably deserved mine.
"Van Dijk took the opportunity to get him booked by kicking the ball at him from a few yards away. That's very disappointing. Liverpool do not need players of that quality and status trying to get an opposition player a yellow card.
"The second one was a good challenge, and if you deem that a challenge, which it could be, then it was not a yellow card offence.
"We are talking too much about the referees and days like today show that when I do leave this game behind, I won't be missing it."
Crystal Palace visit champions Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday December 16, kick-off 3pm. Palace then host Brighton on Thursday December 21, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 8pm.
Liverpool travel to Union Saint-Gilloise for their final Group E fixture in the Europa League. The Reds have already secured top spot. Kick-off 5.45pm.
Jurgen Klopp's side then host Manchester United, live on Sky Sports, on Sunday December 17. Kick-off 4.30pm.
