Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool, Digi Mart USA News (Selhurst Park, London): Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park to inflict a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat on the hosts and leave Pierre Sage in a perilous position with his side bottom of the table. Palace substitute Eddie Nketiah pulled a goal back from the spot with the last kick of the game, but the damage had already been done.
Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz struck for Liverpool either side of half time, and Alexander Isak added a third late on. Liverpool secured a much-needed result following back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Fenerbahce.
The victory, their first in three games in all competitions, moves Liverpool up to fourth in the table.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, arguably Liverpool’s best player, kept his side in the game with important saves to keep out Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton in a first half that also saw Palace hit the bar through Yeremy Pino. He finished with six saves.
Palace’s hard work was undone when Quinten Timber lost Mac Allister at a free kick five minutes before the break, allowing the Argentina international to head in his fifth goal of the season, as many as he managed in the whole of last season.
Liverpool’s two £100m players then combined to double their lead. Bradley Barcola found Wirtz after a swift counter-attack, and the Germany international converted to score his first league goal of the season after a 12-game barren run in the competition.
With the game already sealed, Isak added a third in the 89th minute.
Palace scored from the spot deep in stoppage time after Milos Kerkez was judged to have fouled substitute Dario Osorio in the box. Nketiah’s spot kick prevented Sage from becoming the first Palace head coach since Frank de Boer to lose four games in a row without scoring.
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher said he expected Palace to change managers, while Sage told Sky Sports the club must be more efficient and that the results expected have not yet come. Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola said it was an important win before the international break, noting the team had arrived late from Turkey and that the side struggled defensively in the first half.
Crystal Palace have conceded 24 Premier League goals this season, their most in their first 10 matches of any league campaign since 1980-81. Liverpool have earned more points away from home in the Premier League this season than any other side, with 13.
