Liverpool recorded a comfortable win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, continuing their fine start to the 2024/25 campaign.
Diogo Jota got the only goal of the game as he marked his 100th start for the Reds. The visitors secured victory over Palace, who were lucky to concede just one against Arne Slot’s side.
How the game developed
Crystal PalaceEberechi Eze took the first shot of the match and the action began from the off.
Eddie Nketiah, desperate to end his side’s winless start to the league, cruised easily down Liverpool’s backline before curling a ball into the back of the net. Their attack was quickly ruled offside but it certainly upped the ante as the Reds dug deep to prove the dominant side in south London.
Minutes later, Jota scored his 100th Liverpool Start by giving an advantage to their side. The striker responded well to a perfect ball from Cody Gakpo to beat Trevoh Chalobah and send a shot past Dean Henderson.
Chances came very quickly for the visitors soon after, with Mohamed Salah simply wasting the opportunity to set up a smart shot as his cross by Alexis MacAllister proved just beyond the reach of the argentine
Palace were forced into an early substitution before the 20th minute when Daniel Munoz went down before receiving treatment on the pitch. Nathaniel Clyne came in his place, disrupting Palace’s midfield and causing concern among Eagles fans.
As the clock ticked down, Liverpool’s counter-press looked too stiff for Palace to compete with as the home side struggled to keep possession long enough to generate any attacking play.
Their first real chance of the game came just before half-time as Ismaila Sarr came close to marking his first Palace start with a goal. His effort flew into the bottom left corner of the goal, but Alisson was able to prevent the home side from equalizing, grabbing the ball before any further attempts could be made.
On the hour mark, Liverpool came close to getting their second of the game thanks to a free kick in the box by Trent Alexander-Arnold. His shot flew to Jota, who made contact with his head but could not show enough strength to score.
Liverpool shot stopper Alisson was forced to leave the pitch at the end of the game after suffering a knock, he welcomed Vitezslav Jaros into his place as Palace desperately struggled to get anything past the fresh goalkeeper.
Palace thought their dreams had finally come true when Will Hughes won possession to give his side a chance. The ball fell to Eze on the left, who shot towards the area but landed in the hands of Jaros.
It was all over for the Eagles before the whistle blew, leaving them in search of their first Premier League win once again.
GK: Dean Henderson – 6/10 – Liverpool could have scored more but Henderson stopped any further attempts by the Anfield side. He kept busy between the posts as his defenders struggled.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah – 5/10 – Chalobah struggled to make a big impact on his Eagles debut. He was tested by Liverpool’s intense pressure and was unable to stop Jota’s opener.
CB: Maxence Lacroix – 6/10 – It took him a while to grow into the game, but he performed well once he was involved. His skills are increasingly appreciated by the Palace fan base.
CB: Marc Guehi – 5/10 – An unusually poor display from the England international who often looked dazed on the pitch and unable to control his area. Guehi was caught ball-watching on numerous occasions when his team needed him to step up.
RM: Daniel Muñoz – 5/10 – Usually a reliable figure in midfield, Muñoz was sent off in the opening 20 minutes of the clash after picking up a knock. Palace fans will be hoping for a quick return.
CM: Adam Wharton – 4/10 – Another midfielder who was caught out by Liverpool’s attack, Wharton could have been accused of putting in a blatantly lazy performance. The youngster was lost on the pitch and had no idea how to help his team.
CM: Jefferson Lerma – 6/10 – Lerma had a far more impressive outing than his midfield counterparts, impressing against tough opposition.
LM: Tyrick Mitchell – 6/10 – A good performance from Mitchell, who made light work of tackling his opponent in difficult situations.
AM: Ismaila Sarr – 6/10 – Sarr worked hard on his first start for Palace, chasing up the pitch to create chances. He was sorry not to earn a goal after his powerful shot into the Liverpool box, but still influenced his side’s progressive play.
AM: King’s Mercy – 6/10 – Oliver Glasner relied on Eze to create chances for his side, but the Palace star struggled to deal with Liverpool’s press and struggled to break down their dominant backline. Their intentions of playing possession-based football went out the window against a strong Anfield side.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 6/10 – The former Arsenal man was brought into action within the first second of the game but was otherwise quiet in front of goal. He was simply no match for Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool’s defense and hardly received any promising balls from his teammates.
Substitutes
SUB: Nathaniel Clyne (17′ by Muñoz) – 5/10
SUB: Will Hughes (60′ for Wharton) – 6/10
SUB: Jean-Philippe Mateta (60′ for Mitchell) – 6/10
SUB: Daichi Kamada (88′ for Chalobah) – N/A
Subs not used: Matt Turner (GK), Joel Ward, Caleb Kporha, Franco Umeh-Chibueze, Jeffrey Schlupp.
manager
Oliver Glasner – 4/10 – Glasner cannot inject the life into Palace that he did so well last season. Still waiting for their first win of the campaign, despite fielding a change in squad.
GK: Alisson Becker – 6/10 – Alisson did well to prevent Sarr from equalizing before half-time, but he hasn’t proven himself in Liverpool’s box other than that. He left the pitch in the latter stages of the game after dealing with a knock but impressed while fit.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10 – As usual, an impressive performance from the England defender who forced himself to be in all the right places at the right times. He made some heroic passes, offering his services in both offensive and defensive play.
CB: Ibrahima Konata – 7/10 – Konate was simply unstoppable, once again looking like every attacking player’s nightmare. His work rate against Palace was immense, blocking any potential threat from the Eagles while refusing to let them retain any form of possession.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 8/10 – An absolute tank in defence, Van Dijk produced a classy performance at Selhurst Park. Calm, composed, but dangerous, there was nothing Palace could do to threaten the Dutchman.
LB: Konstantinos Tsimikas – 6/10 – Tsimikas unleashed arguably one of his best Liverpool performances, making a series of impressive passes and unlocking a confident side to his game.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch – 7/10 – Gravenberch was unplayable, placing himself at the heart of all Liverpool’s positive play. He made sure he was always in the right places when the game changed direction and worked with the ball when in possession.
CM: Alexis MacAllister – 6/10 – He played with class and elegance in the first half, but was taken out of the game at half-time to freshen up the Reds’ midfield. Failed to force a goal from Salah’s first assist.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6/10 – He used his energy on the pitch to drive Liverpool’s play but was unable to capitalize with either a goal or an assist. Fantasy Premier League players will not be happy if they captain the Anfield man.
AM: Curtis Jones – 5/10 – A quieter performance from Jones who struggled to stand out among the talent on his team. It wasn’t a bad outing for the midfielder, but just quiet.
LM: Cody Gakpo – 6/10 – A mixed bag of Gakpo vs. Palace. He has worked hard, but selfishly he has taken the ball when the chances could have come to his teammates. Fewer shots and more passes were needed from the Dutchman.
ST: Diogo Jota – 7/10 – He marked his 100th start for Liverpool with a beautiful goal in the opening minutes of the game. Jota has been directly involved in 13 goals in his last 14 Premier League starts and once again proved vital for the Merseyside club.
Substitutes
SUB: Dominik Szoboszlai (45′ for Mac Allister) – 6/10
SUB: Luis Díaz (73′ for Salah) – 6/10
SUB: Vitezslav Jaros (79′ for Alisson) – 7/10
SUB: Andy Robertson (79′ for Tsimikas) – N/A
SUB: Wataru Endo (89′ for Jones) – N/A
Subs not used: Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez.
manager
Arne Slot – 8/10 – Not a bad start to life in the Premier League for Slot. Made some interesting changes but ultimately got the job done.
