Liverpool players shine in 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
Manager Jurgen Klopp made four changes to the squad that faced Sheffield United as Joel Matip’s injury saw Jarell Quansah take the starting role alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence. Kostas Tsimikas came in for Joe Gomez at left-back. After his top-class performance against Chris Wilder’s Sheffield, Wataru Endo retained his place in the starting XI as Alexis Mac Allister’s knee injury saw him out of the matchday squad against Roy Hodgson’s Palace.
Ryan Gravenberch started alongside Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai in the middle of the park as Darwin Nunez replaced Cody Gakpo in the front three.
Notably, Alisson Becker returned to the matchday squad after three games. His hamstring injury against Manchester City saw him out for one Europa League and two Premier League fixtures with Caoimhin Kelleher deputising in goal for the Brazilian. The recovery time considering the seriousness of the injury is top-notch.
Liverpool’s problems away from home continued to take centre stage as they chased the game after Jean-Phillipe Mateta converted from the spot just ten minutes into the second half. Liverpool have not taken any away game by the scruff of its neck and the effects are showing. The Reds must step up and try to put games to bed sooner rather than later. Especially the ones where we face low-block sides like Palace. Nevertheless, it took the Reds a goal from Crystal Palace to get into the game and score two goals to secure all three points after an average performance.
Below are our Liverpool ratings against Crystal Palace:
Alisson Becker: 8/10
Hardly puts a foot wrong, does Alisson Becker. Was called upon pretty early into the game and certainly stood out as usual. Made a few saves in the first half, one of which has the potential to land him the Premier League Save of the Month for December. Not a lot he could have done about the penalty. Made a top-class save in the 100th minute of the game to secure two points as well. The most important player in our squad.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 8/10
Keeping up his good form from the last few weeks. Did nothing wrong, and was at his creative best. Sadly without any avail. Jeffrey Schlupp was kept uninvolved for large parts of the game thanks to Trent’s prowess. Transitioned into a midfield role in the second half as Joe Gomez replaced Wataru Endo.
Virgil van Dijk : 8/10
Gave away a clear penalty which stood over-ruled because of the earlier foul on Wataru Endo. Apart from that, did not put a foot wrong except for one occasion where a lack of communication with Alisson resulted in the ball falling into a dangerous space, but Ali took care of it.
Jarell Quansah: 6/10
Seemed underconfident on the ball on occasions. Had more time than he thought. Defensively sound for large parts of the game apart from the penalty he gave away. Should have done better in that situation but still quite young. Has a long way to go and he will learn from his mistakes. Ibrahima Konate came after Quansah gave away the penalty.
Kostas Tsimikas: 8/10
One of Liverpool’s better players this afternoon. A constant threat going forward and had Joel Ward worried. Could improve defensively but that is something that comes to the fore due to the Reds’ style of play with overlapping full-backs. Not a lot to critique as KT did what was expected of him.
Wataru Endo: 4/10
Caught in possession multiple times. Can play much better than he did today. The Reds would have had it easy if Endo was switched on from the get-go. The Japanese international could benefit massively if he works on the physical aspect of his game a bit. As earlier mentioned, Joe Gomez replaced him for the second half.
Ryan Gravenberch : 6/10
Constant starts proving to be early doors for Gravenberch. A pep talk from Jurgen Klopp in the dressing room at half-time surely did not work as the manager put Cody Gakpo on for Gravenberch after just more than ten minutes into the second half. Still very young, a long way to go for him.
Dominik Szoboszlai: 8/10
Immense work rates on display from the Hungarian Gerrard today. A top-class performance and the change in tempo compared to last season’s midfield is surely telling. Way to go as the expectations are bound to increase when you play for a club of Liverpool’s stature. Curtis Jones replaced him with 15 minutes to go for regulation time.
Mohamed Salah: 7/10
Uninvolved for large parts of the game. Extremely uncharacteristic of Mo. Former Red Nathaniel Clyne did an excellent job at keeping Mo quiet. However, Mohamed Salah is as inevitable as one could get. Only the fifth player in the club’s history to score 200 goals across all competitions. Also, the assist provider for Harvey Elliott’s winner.
Darwin Nunez: 6/10
The chaos connoisseur was not a massive threat to the Eagles’ backline. We rightly expect better from him and it is high time he steps up and delivers when it matters the most. We back our players irrespective. Came off after 70 ineffective minutes for Harvey Elliott.
Luis Diaz: 6/10
Lucho was also very uninvolved against Palace and was very ineffective. Tough times for the Colombian international on the pitch who just overcame a pretty tough time away from football. Here’s hoping for a quick resurgence for the talented player.
Substitutes:
Joe Gomez: 6/10
Gomez delivered an above-average performance, stepping in for the struggling Wataru Endo and fulfilling the expectations set for him. He did a decent job, contributing to the team as needed during the match.
Cody Gakpo: 6/10
Gakpo put in an average performance, taking the place of the struggling Ryan Gravenberch and meeting the expected standards. He did a decent job, playing his role and making valuable contributions in terms of keeping possession of the ball while transitioning into attack.
Ibrahima Konate: 6/10
Ibou may have narrowly avoided a yellow card, but he put in a commendable defensive effort while also posing a threat during set-pieces.
Curtis Jones: 6/10
Played a pivotal role in Mohamed Salah’s deflected goal by providing the crucial assist. He injected a significant amount of energy into the game and performed fairly well overall.
Harvey Elliott: 7/10
Standout player, secured victory with a spectacular goal just a minute into the ten minutes of added time. His remarkable performance positions him as the go-to super sub for Jurgen Klopp.
