Premier League: Palace stun Liverpool again
Liverpool 0 - 1 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have done it against Liverpool again.
Older fans of the London club would have been taken back to the 1990 FA Cup semi-final. Younger fans would have been remembering that stunning comeback from 3-0 down in 2014 that wrecked their title chances. What is it about Palace and destroying Liverpool's trophy dreams?
The reaction to the final whistle suggested that this was a hugely damaging week for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp congratulated his opponent on a Crystal Palace victory that has reverberated at both ends of the table before puffing out his cheeks and shaking his head in despair.
At the end of the match, Andy Robertson looked like he was in a trance. The home fans filed out of Anfield in total silence. In a title race with the tightest margins, Liverpool have blinked first.
Arsenal, would of course, blink later on in the day. This ultimately makes it advantage for Manchester City. It's starting to look like the pressure is getting to two of the three sides in this incredible race for the 2023/2024 title,
It has been a bad week for Liverpool and Klopp
They were soundly beaten in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals by Atalanta on Thursday, The reds faltered again at home as Eberechi Eze’s early goal rewarded Palace’s first-half superiority and ultimately lifted their prospects of Premier League safety.
The club that was actually responsible for Klopp’s first Premier League defeat may have holed his chances of winning the league. They have lost two successive home games for the first time since March 2021. This will be a concern for Liverpool fans and players alike.
It was sloppy and poor from Klopp's side throughout the first half and wasteful throughout the second. For a team that was fighting on four fronts a month ago have only themselves to blame.
There will be a common question being asked by many Liverpool fans. What was the impact of those defeats to Manchester United and Atalanta? Klopp had promised to react to the shocking Europa League defeat. Instead, Liverpool delivered a poor first-half display that was more of the same.
UEL: Liverpool shocked by Italian side (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
They were once again lethargic, careless in possession, and lacking concentration in defence. The malaise even affected Alisson, who was making his first start since injuring his hamstring against Arsenal in February. Palace took advantage of these lapses and were fully deserving of their halftime lead, which could and should have been greater.
Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
For the visitors, their performance was elevated by the gifted duo of Michael Olise and Eze. They cut through Liverpool and had particular joy down their left against Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konaté. Klopp’s side were carved open on a few different occasions.
This looked a completely different Palace side to one that has been outfought and outplayed on so many occasions this season. Their fans might start getting excited about what they can achieve next season if they do avoid relegation.
More news from the 2023/2024 title race can be found by clicking here.
The defender pulled the ball back from the byline, through the legs of Wataru Endo, for Eze to slot a precise finish beyond Liverpool’s first-choice keeper. Konaté and Virgil van Dijk were both slow to react to the danger, leaving Eze completely unmarked in front of the goal.
Before Liverpool cleared their heads, Palace should have had a second. When Van Dijk slipped, Jean-Philippe Mateta collected Eze's pass and raced through on goal. Liverpool’s Robertson somehow managed to clear the ball on the line after the Palace striker lofted his shot over Alisson without power.
You can watch the highlights in the video below
The footage is from @skysportspremierleague on YouTube.
One YouTuber commented: "Crystal Palace pretty much ended Liverpool’s title charge in 2014. They have most likely done the same 10 years later, pure poetry."
Another added: "People will talk about Liverpool bottling the title. Don't ignore Palace's performance, Glasner's cooking and he's just served up Klopp's farewell dish."
The views of our resident Liverpool fans
This is what William from Bradford had to say about his side's performance: "It was another poor start to the match. For the second time in four days, a ponderous display prompted Klopp to change his side throughout. Dominik Szoboszlai came on and replaced the tired Endo. Whilst he helped inject the energy and accuracy that had been sorely lacking previously, we still didn't create enough.
"Annoyingly, you'd have to say that Palace deserved the win and had the chance to score more goals. Aside from when Darwin Núñez wasted a great opportunity, it never looked like we were going to rally."
Holly, another Liverpool fan, added: "It really is starting to look like the players are tired. It has been a great season and we need to end as strong as possible. The title is still very much on. Going out of Europe could actually be good for us, especially if Arsenal and City progress in the Champions League."
Delight for Palace
Palace shocked Liverpool again today.
— European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 14, 2024
More reacting coming up: https://t.co/qfMpbyVToc https://t.co/KuLNRCdbTx
Peter Thompson, a Crystal Palace fan, told us: "That was a brilliant win for us. I am confident now that we can survive and avoid relegation. I'm feeling Glad All Over!"
Jamie added: "We are staying up. Full credit to the players for showing some fight and determination to restart our season after some pretty grim moments.
