Resilience
is obviously a key component for any team competing for the Premier League
title and as the manager mentioned in his post-match press conference we also
have character.
Selhurst
Park is a tough hunting ground for Liverpool Football Club with the ghost of
the infamous night on Tuesday 6 May 2014 still fresh in the mind.
Pliability
and fortitude may be bywords of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, but continual
defensive mistakes are making the job doubly difficult. Today’s match was a point in kind. Coasting for most of the game, but two lapses
in concentration meant having to go through the gears. A clean sheet would have seen us equal
Manchester City’s goal difference at the top.
The win was
essential and the fact that three of the four goals were not scored by the
usual suspects can only do good going forward.
But to my
mind the jury is still out on Dejan Lovren who is still prone to making basic mistakes. His ineffective back pass for the first and
being outjumped by James McArthur for Palace’s second was more than a little
disappointing coming at times when we in full control. As I said in my last blog, the continued obdurateness
of Klopp towards Sakho seems bizarre as game on game the recurrent incessant
nature of these defensive mistakes shows no sign of abating.
That said,
we were good. At times Palace struggled
to live with intricacy and speed of thought of Liverpool’s dynamic front three
with Lallana in the mix. It’s not just
the interaction of the Lallana, Mane, Coutinho and Firmino.
The fact is all four have an unpredictability
and brilliance to their game which makes it difficult defend against counter-balanced
with their willingness to work hard and press with Philippe Coutinho as the
standout special talent.
A word for
Emre Can who continually used his physicality to drive his team forward and his
endeavour was well rewarded with his first goal of the season. Alberto Moreno fully involved in the goal,
passed inside to Henderson, before fastening on to sumptuous dinked pass from
Coutinho to control volley across the six-yard box for the arriving Can to nick
in and dispatch with a poke of his left foot which took a slight deflection.
The disparate
nature of Palace’s equaliser points the finger to the lack of
concentration. Lovren appeared overly
relaxed in miscuing his pass back, only scooping the ball up on a platter for
James McArthur to tuck away with relish an unexpected starter.
Liverpool
were soon back in the lead. Once again
Coutinho was integral, finding Lovren with an expertly delivered corner
allowing the Croatian to atone for his earlier by powering his header past
keeper Steve Mandanda.
The great
work was undone by inept defending when Lovren barely getting off the ground
was beaten hands down by James McArthur hurtling on to a Zaha cross with Moreno
having stood off allowing the wide man time and space to pick out his target.
Four goals
in just over half hour. It was crazy, the atmosphere electric as one always expects
at Palace was buzzing with the beat of the drums and home fans singing The Dave
Clark Fives’ Glad All Over. In amongst
it all Liverpool fans belted out support as resolute as ever. They were soon to be rewarded with yet
another goal.
Liverpool
deserved to be well clear rampaging in the last third as chances went a begging. Both Moreno and Coutinho saw efforts hit the
post and Mane blazed over when from range.
It had to come and it did just before half-time with Matip burying his
header in emphatic fashion from Coutinho’s cross. His header bursting through the hands of the powerless
Mandanda.
We are
playing a fantastic brand of attacking football, but the inability to defend
makes it difficult to watch, moreover away from home with the home team
galvanised by our mistakes and home support.
A chance was
always going to come the way of Christian Benteke in his first game against his
former club and early in the second-half he swivelled on a Scott Dann knock
down shooting low and hard to Karius left, who was equal to the task.
Liverpool
were as potent as ever with Coutinho at the fore and he once again posted an
imperious through into the stride path of Mane striding away. The Senegalese shot was saved well by low
down by Mandanda improvising with his legs before Lallana’s shot drifted wide.
Benteke looking
dangerous even with relatively sparse service, headed into the path of Cabaye
only for the ex-PSG midfielder’s shot to be well saved again by Karius.
Crystal
Palace encouraged by increased possession were disappointed by a succession of
penalty appeals. Palace buoyed by a
better second-half was soon to see any hope snuffed out by a signature
Liverpool goal.
Jordan
Henderson not having one of his most influential afternoons, suddenly sprung to
life with a wonderful through ball to Firmino who almost arrogantly chipped
over the onrushing Mandanda to finally kill off any remaining hopes of the home
side.
Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho – Has undoubtedly
taken on the mantle as Liverpool’s premier player from Steven Gerrard. With Emre Can now up to speed following his
ankle injury driving on from midfield, Coutinho is the mastermind creating,
probing and delivering. He was directly
involved in three of the goals, providing assists for two and could quite easily
have had at least two goals himself. We
could well be seeing his accession from world class talent to world class
footballer.
Liverpool
were delicious in attack and the four could have been eight. Mane should have had two and as already been
said so could Coutinho and a rasping drive from Moreno smashed off the outside
of the post.
To come away
from Selhurst Park with a win is a big positive in what was perceived to be a
tough challenge and Liverpool will be embarking on the next three matches
hoping to accentuate the positives.
Our
shortcomings continue to be in defence and while we are scoring three or four
invariably we will win. But, continued
mistakes could hit confidence, particularly if we throw away leads and
eventually matches. Lovren was extremely
poor and while his back pass smacked of a lackadaisical approach, the second
goal was more of a worry with McArthur stealing in ahead of him and Moreno
standing off Zaha and allowing him the time and space to deliver his cross.
Jürgen Klopp
is full aware of our problems in defence and up until now has not been able to
find an answer. With Lucas and Klavan
picked in the EFL cup tie in the week against Spurs it suggests Lovren is Matip’s
partner come what may.
Teams:
Crystal Palace: 30 Steve Mandanda, 2 Joel Ward, 6
Scott Dann, 5 James Tomkins, 34 Martin Kelly, 7 Yohan Cabaye, 16 Joe Ledley
(Jason Puncheon – 74 mins), 11 Wilfried Zaha, 18 James McArthur (Fraizer
Campbell – 86 mins), 14 Chung-Yong Lee (Andros Townsend – 66 mins), 17
Christian Benteke
Subs: 4 Mattieu Flamini, 9 Fraizer
Campbell, 10 Andros Townsend, 13 Wayne Hennessey, 27 Damien Delaney, 42 Jason
Puncheon
Liverpool: 1 Loris Karius, 2 Nathaniel Clyne,
32 Joel Matip, 6 Dejan Lovren, 18 Alberto Moreno, 20 Adam Lallana (Georginio Wijnaldum
– 76 mins), 14 Jordan Henderson, 23 Emre Can, 19 Sadio Mane (Ragnar Klavan –
90+2 mins), 11 Roberto Firminio, 10 Philippe Coutinho – 89 mins)
Subs: 5 Georginio Wijnaldum, 15 Daniel
Sturridge, 17 Ragmar Klavan, 21 Lucas, 22 Simon Mignolet, 27 Divock Origi, 56
Connor Randall
Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 25,628
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