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Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah's 29th Premier League goal secures victory

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Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool

Mohamed Salah scored his 29th league goal as Liverpool came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park in Jurgen Klopp's 100th Premier League game in charge.

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Roy Hodgson's side took the lead through captain Luka Milivojevic's 13th-minute penalty, which was given after Loris Karius brought down Wilfried Zaha.

The visitors were back on level terms just after the break through Sadio Mane (49) before Christian Benteke missed two glorious chances to restore Palace's lead.

It was left to Salah (84) to seal all three points for the Reds with his 29th league goal, equalling the record for the number of matches (21) scored in during a 38-game season set by Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08) and Robin van Persie (2012/13).

Player ratings

Crystal Palace: Hennessey (6), Van Aanholt (7), Sakho (6), Kelly (6), Wan-Bissaka (6), McArthur (6), Milivojevic (8), Cabaye (7), Townsend (6), Zaha (7), Benteke (5).

Subs: Loftus-Cheek (6), Fosu-Mensah (6).

Liverpool: Karius (6), Robertson (7), Van Dijk (7), Matip (7), Alexander-Arnold (6), Wijnaldum (6), Milner (8), Henderson (7), Mane (6), Firmino (6), Salah (7).

Subs: Lallana (5), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6), Lovren (6).

Man of the match: James Milner

Karius was in the thick of the action in the opening stages, reacting well to turn Zaha's shot behind.

However, minutes later, the German raced off his line and took down Zaha just inside the penalty area. Referee Neil Swarbrick pointed to the spot before brandishing a yellow card to Karius. Milivojevic sent the goalkeeper to wrong way to score his seventh penalty of the campaign.

Liverpool appealed for a penalty of their own in the 24th minute when Mane went down under a challenge from James McArthur, but Swarbrick adjudged the Senegal forward to have gone down easily and booked him for simulation.

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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action against Crystal Palace's Patrick van Aanholt (left) and Mamadou Sakho during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park
Image: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action against Crystal Palace's Patrick van Aanholt (left) and Mamadou Sakho during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park

There was more frustration for Mane, who had the ball in the net in the 30th minute. Roberto Firmino rose highest to head the ball on from a corner, but Mane was correctly flagged offside before nodding past Wayne Hennessey from close range.

Mane's luck changed after the restart as he flicked Milner's low cross in at the near post for his ninth goal of the season.

The hosts should have been back in front as Benteke missed two clear-cut chances within the space of a minute, missing the target with only Karius to beat on both occasions.

Team news

Wilfried Zaha was fit to start after being unable to train during the international break due to a knee problem. However, James Tomkins and Alexander Sorloth both joined Jeffrey Schlupp and Joel Ward on the sidelines as boss Roy Hodgson made two changes from the side that won 2-0 at Huddersfield last time out.

Liverpool were missing right-back Joe Gomez, who damaged ankle ligaments while playing for England in the Netherlands last Friday night, with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming in. And the visitors were also without midfielder Emre Can - who was replaced by James Milner. Meanwhile, right-back Nathaniel Clyne was included in the squad for the first time this season after a long-term back injury.

Mane, who was later substituted by Klopp, was then lucky to avoid picking up a second yellow card for an intentional handball on the edge of the area and Karius kept out the resultant free-kick from Patrick van Aanholt.

Palace kept on pushing for a winner but in the end, they were punished by Salah, who was in the right place at the right time to control Andrew Roberton's driven shot before calmly placing the ball past the diving Hennessey to secure a dramatic late victory for his side.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
Image: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park

Match stats

  • Liverpool have now won 679 top-flight away games - no side has ever won more (level with Arsenal).
  • Salah has been involved in 38 Premier League goals this season (29 goals, 9 assists), the most by any player in the competition since Luis Suarez in 2013-14 (43).
  • Mane became the joint-highest scoring Senegalese player in Premier League history, equalling Demba Ba's haul of 43 in the competition. It was also Mané's fifth Premier League strike against Crystal Palace - more than he's got against any other opponent.
  • Crystal Palace are the first team to lose three consecutive Premier League home games thanks to goals conceded in the final 10 minutes (88th vs Tottenham, 90th vs Man Utd and 84th vs Liverpool).
  • No player has won more Premier League penalties this season that Zaha (4), while Milivojevic has taken (8) and scored (7) the most spot-kicks this season.
  • Benteke has missed 20 of the 22 big chances he's had in the Premier League this season, more than any other player.

Man of the Match - James Milner

Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke (left) and Liverpool's James Milner battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London.

Salah will be getting all the plaudits once again after his late strike secured Liverpool a late victory but Milner, who was filling in for the injured Emre Can, was excellent in the middle of the park for Klopp's side.

The 32-year-old was neat and tidy in possession and provided a cutting edge of the visitors in the final third, setting up Mane's 49th minute equaliser with a drilled cross towards the near post.

How did England hopefuls fare?

There was an injury blow for Gareth Southgate as Adam Lallana lasted just over five minutes after coming on a substitute before picking up a nasty looking injury trying to tackle Milivojevic. Jordan Henderson, who captained England last week against the Netherlands, completed the full 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who also appeared for the Three Lions during the international break, playing 26 minutes as a substitute.

Meanwhile, Joe Gomez missed the game after injuring his ankle on England duty. The 20-year-old was forced off in the early stages of England's 1-0 win in Amsterdam against the Netherlands last Friday and subsequently missed Tuesday's draw with Italy.

Managers

Roy Hodgson: "A little bit of Groundhog Day when we play against these top teams. We played quite well in the second half I thought, we controlled the ball better and created the better chances ourselves.

"But unfortunately we also conceded the two goals in that half, which would have seemed more likely in the first half when they had a lot of possession and put us under a lot of pressure."

Jurgen Klopp: "It was no dive; diving with a bit of contact is not possible. It was contact, 100 per cent. He wants to stay (on his feet) and then it doesn't work and he goes down.

"And the second yellow, I think it was a foul on Sadio. But then he made a wrong decision to put his hand on the ball.

"And then I thought 'okay that's it, au revoir, see you later'. I thought 'now he's gone', of course."

The pundit

Graeme Souness: "Lots of plusses (for Liverpool), playing a very attractive football, a team that most neutrals would want to watch.

"But they have to start winning trophies as that is what you are judged on ultimately and that is the only thing that is missing.

"But I think they are certainly on the right road, they just need to win a trophy," said the Scot, who won the 1992 FA Cup while managing Liverpool.

"And if you win one, then it makes it so much easier going forward because you start to believe in yourself."

What's next?

Crystal Palace are back in action next Saturday (April 7) when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth (3pm).

Live Premier League

Meanwhile, Liverpool have a Champions League date against Manchester City at Anfield on Wednesday (April 4) before facing Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday (April 7), live on Sky Sports Premier League from 11.30am.

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