Michael Olise, Alisson Becker and Andrew Robertson stood out as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Liverpool started the game brightly and looked like they would find the back of the net in the early exchanges. In the eighth minute, their dominance yielded a goal as Virgil van Dijk met Andrew Robertson’s delivery from a corner with a powerful header. The Reds did not rest on their laurels and constantly pegged Crystal Palace back.
Liverpool’s advantage was duly doubled in the 32nd minute when Robertson’s searching cross found Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored from an acute angle to make it 2-0. Crystal Palace took this as the wake-up call and pushed to pull a goal back after that, with Jean-Philippe Mateta giving Joel Matip a lot to worry about.
But Alisson Becker stood tall in front of the Liverpool goal, ensuring the visitors went into the half-time break with their lead intact. After the interval, Crystal Palace began the second half on the front foot, creating two glorious openings in the space of the first two minutes. The early pressure was rewarded with a goal for the hosts, with Odsonne Edouard finding the back of the net.
Jeffrey Schlupp sliced open a porous-looking Liverpool defence by finding Jean-Philippe Mateta, who squared the ball for Edouard to tap into the empty net. Crystal Palace continued to create the better of the opportunities, with Liverpool only managing half-chances. But just when it looked like Palace would level the scores, contentious refereeing gifted the Reds a way to bolster their advantage.
In the 86th minute, Diogo Jota earned a penalty after clattering into Vicente Guaita, with Kevin Friend bizarrely awarding Liverpool the penalty following consultation from the VAR. Fabinho stepped up to take the spot-kick and coolly converted to make it 3-1 and put the game to bed. The result means the Merseyside giants are now nine points behind Manchester City. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players.
Crystal Palace
Vicente Guaita: 6/10
Back in the starting lineup, Guaita started the game in solid fashion, making a superb stop to deny Jordan Henderson. But he could not have done much to keep out any of the Liverpool goals. And while he conceded the penalty that Fabinho converted, it was a harsh call by referee Kevin Friend.
Joel Ward: 6/10
Ward endured some difficult moments in the first half an hour, with Diogo Jota and Andrew Robertson giving him a lot to worry about. But the Crystal Palace skipper took matters into his own hands in the second half and helped push his side forward while winning ten duels in the process.
Joachim Andersen: 6.5/10
Andersen started the game poorly as he failed to track Virgil van Dijk’s run for the opener. The Dane continued to suffer in the early exchanges but was brilliant once he found his footing. He also played a key role in ensuring efficient build-up from the back, setting up a superb opening for Michael Olise while making several key clearances.
Marc Guehi: 6/10
Guehi had his first experience of defending Roberto Firmino, and he would not have liked it much. The Chelsea academy graduate struggled to track the movement of Liverpool’s star striker, though he did make a few important clearances. But the youngster was much-improved after the interval and did not let his man past him.
Tyrick Mitchell: 5.5/10
On paper, Mitchell seemed to have the best job of all the Crystal Palace defenders, as he had to guard a player who was only just making his way back from an injury-enforced layoff. But the 22-year-old left Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unmarked for the second Liverpool goal and did not defend well for much of the game.
Conor Gallagher: 6/10
While he will have been frustrated at not getting as much time on the ball as he would have liked, the young midfielder failed to complete his defensive duties. Curtis Jones got too much space on his side and duly made merry. He also had two great chances to score, but he fluffed his lines on each occasion. He improved as the match wore on, but he has seen better days.
Will Hughes: 6/10
Hughes endured a difficult start to the game, struggling to contain Liverpool in the early exchanges. But he improved as the game wore on and helped Crystal Palace put sustained pressure on the Reds by quickening the game’s tempo.
Jeffrey Schlupp: 7/10
Schlupp was a lively presence in the middle of the park and had the measure of Jordan Henderson throughout the game. The 29-year-old might have been a tad bit wasteful on the ball but always looked to make things happen, doing so by slicing open the Liverpool defence in the build-up to Odsonne Edouard’s goal.
Michael Olise: 8/10
??????? Michael Olise v. Liverpool
• 2 big chances created
• 2 key passes
• 2 fouls won
• 5 ground duels won
• 4 shot-creating actions
• 2/2 dribbles completed
• 2/2 shots on targetOne of the most skilled players to ever don the Palace shirt. pic.twitter.com/7maxZtM9Wl
— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) January 23, 2022
Olise endured a difficult first half for the most part, as he was pinned to the right byline by Andrew Robertson and could not do much to influence the proceedings. But once he found his feet, there was no stopping the young midfielder, who created openings for fun. He might not have a goal or an assist to show for his efforts, but Olise was the player making things happen for Crystal Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta: 6.5/10
Preferred ahead of Christian Benteke, Mateta troubled Joel Matip to no end on Sunday, forcing the Cameroonian defender to commit a few errors. But it was his ghosting run behind Virgil van Dijk that takes the cake, as he went behind the Liverpool defender before squaring the ball for Odsonne Edouard for the Crystal Palace goal.
Odsonne Edouard: 6.5/10
Deployed on the left side of the Crystal Palace attack, Edouard struggled to get used to the challenges of the role initially. But the young Frenchman had Trent Alexander-Arnold on the ropes at times and ghosted into the Liverpool box brilliantly to score his team’s only goal. Still, Eberechi Eze was an upgrade on him following his substitution.
Most Premier League goals scored at Selhurst Park this season:
◉ Odsonne Èdouard (5)
Most Premier League assists at Selhurst Park this season:
◉ Odsonne Édouard (3)
The Frenchman has three goals and three assists in his last four home games. ? pic.twitter.com/xi83rOncSU
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 23, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Eberechi Eze: 6.5/10
On for Edouard, Eze was a bundle of energy in the game’s final quarter and even created a decent opening. But it was not to be for him on the day.
Jordan Ayew: N/A
On for Hughes, Ayew barely saw the ball late on, with Liverpool looking to contain their hosts to see the game out.
Christan Benteke: N/A
Introduced in place of Mateta, Benteke managed just three touches and could not help Palace salvage anything from the game.
Liverpool
Alisson Becker: 8/10
Alisson today: pic.twitter.com/T6iTkILQB1
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 23, 2022
He might have failed to keep a clean sheet, but Alisson was instrumental in ensuring Liverpool had not gone behind Crystal Palace before Fabinho scored the third goal. The Brazilian goalkeeper pulled off some brilliant saves, with the one to deny Michael Olise being the most notable stop. He is so crucial for Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6/10
Alexander-Arnold had an indifferent game, as most of Liverpool’s moves flowed through the left flank, giving him very few opportunities to make a mark. And while he produced a few solid moments off the ball, the Englishman struggled to contain Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze.
Joel Matip: 4/10
Matip has arguably been better than Virgil van Dijk this season, but he was dreadful on Sunday. Jean-Philippe Mateta constantly had him on the ropes, and the Cameroonian defender committed two major mistakes without being punished for them. And he failed to keep track of Edouard when he pulled a goal back for Crystal Palace.
Virgil van Dijk: 6/10
Virgil van Dijk has been under pressure when defending counter-attacks this term. And Liverpool’s defensive leader failed on that account again on Sunday, as Crystal Palace ran rings around the Reds’ defence. Worse still was the fact that he switched off when Mateta slipped past him leading up to the Palace goal. But he did well for his early strike, as he evaded his marker brilliantly before scoring from a thumping header.
Andrew Robertson: 8/10
42 – Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Andy Robertson's 42 assists in the Premier League are only surpassed by two players in the competition (Kevin De Bruyne, 52 and Trent Alexander-Arnold, 43), while he is now level with Mohamed Salah. Options. pic.twitter.com/yqqTuu9GX8
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 23, 2022
After a few inconsistent displays, Robertson seemed determined to make a lasting impression on Sunday. He produced the pinpoint delivery from a corner to find van Dijk for the opener and delivered the cross that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain converted for Liverpool’s second. He had his troubles against Michael Olise but came through unscathed in the end.
Jordan Henderson: 5/10
Henderson had a game to forget, as he could not find a way to carve out the openings while being outplayed by the resolute Jeffrey Schlupp. Some of his touches were wasteful, with the Liverpool captain losing possession 18 times.
Fabinho: 6/10
Declared fit to start, Fabinho held the fort in the middle of the park seamlessly in the early exchanges. But as Crystal Palace began to pile on the pressure, the Brazilian international could not manage to nip the moves in the bud. However, he made no mistake in converting the penalty late in the game to earn all three points for Liverpool.
Curtis Jones: 6/10
Continuing from where he left off against Arsenal, Jones constantly looked for the pass to break the lines and played three key passes. But he was switched off in the defensive phases on a few occasions and failed to track the runs of Conor Gallagher. A mixed bag of performance in the end.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7/10
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored in back-to-back games for the first time since February 2020.
Liverpool are cruising in the capital. ? pic.twitter.com/1SX1YhGTny
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 23, 2022
While his teammates found him plenty of times, Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed to lack the sharpness to make things happen early in the game. But the Englishman did well to latch onto Robertson’s cross before producing a superb finish from an acute angle to make it 2-0. As Crystal Palace grew into the game, he became increasingly anonymous before being taken off for Takumi Minamino.
Roberto Firmino: 6/10
Firmino showcased his trademark movement with elan in the early exchanges, troubling Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson greatly. But as the game wore on, the Crystal Palace defenders figured him out and managed to find a way to contain him. He also lost the ball cheaply many times, and there is still some way to go before Firmino can truly nail down his spot.
Diogo Jota: 6/10
Jota started the game strongly, linking up well with Jones and Robertson on his flank. But as Crystal Palace established a foothold in the game, he was reduced to fend for half-chances while giving possession away carelessly. That being said, Jota won the penalty that helped Liverpool put the game to bed, controversial or not.
Never a penalty. Ridiculous decision. Jota lost control of the ball and ran into Guaita. Jota was never going to reach the ball. Harsh on #cpfc and ruined any chance of a comeback. Quality of officiating such an issue in @premierleague. But Riley doesn’t recognise it. #CRYLIV
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) January 23, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Takumi Minamino: 6/10
On for Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino could not find his way into the game, managing just six touches.
James Milner: N/A
A late introduction, Milner helped see the game out.
Joe Gomez: N/A
A late introduction, Gomez helped see the game out.
