The sun shone, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz made an impression on a Liverpool victory, Freddie Woodman seized his moment as third-choice goalkeeper and Arne Slot’s team went fourth by lifting the curse of Crystal Palace. This season being what it is for the champions, though, a dark cloud had to appear.
Mohamed Salah limped out of Liverpool’s third consecutive Premier League win and potentially out of his final season at Anfield with a hamstring injury. That was the impression given as the Liverpool great applauded all four sides of the ground before heading straight down the tunnel.
“We don’t know,” said Slot on the extent of the injury when asked about the possibility that Salah had played his final game for the club. “But we do know the season is over in four or five weeks so that’s not a lot of games. We have to see if he can return to play but Mo has taken such good care of his body that he needs the minimum time to recover from an injury. Let’s hope for the best.”
Another cloud came in the form of more protests against Liverpool’s decision to increase ticket prices for the next three seasons. “You greedy bastards, enough is enough,” reverberated around Anfield as the vast majority of fans showed yellow cards to Liverpool owner, Fenway Sports Group. But for Slot, another step closer to Champions League qualification courtesy of a first win in four meetings with Palace this season brightened the outlook.
There was little between the teams and Liverpool were rattled by a controversial goal for the visitors, who were not distracted by an impending Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday. “The difference was the efficiency,” said Oliver Glasner. “Liverpool took their half chances and we missed our big chances.” An accurate summation.
Palace started well but Liverpool’s performance level rose after they were awarded – and then denied – a penalty when Salah went down after a challenge from Brennan Johnson. Andy Madley overturned his initial decision after a pitch-side review that confirmed Johnson had played the ball first. The incident had a galvanising effect on Liverpool, who took command with two goals in the space of five minutes.
Salah was central to Liverpool’s improvement and an opening goal that would have brought pure relief to Isak. Too strong for Jaydee Canvot, the Egypt international muscled the Palace defender aside to break into the area, where his cross was headed away by Chris Richards. Alexis Mac Allister’s returned shot was heading wide until Isak controlled near the penalty spot and swept his second touch into the ground and over Dean Henderson. Isak may have scuffed the effort but, given this season’s toils, the sight of the ball looping into the Palace net for his first league goal for Liverpool at Anfield will have been sweet.
The hosts doubled their lead from a blistering counterattack instigated by Woodman’s superb save from Jean-Philippe Mateta. The goalkeeper, making his first league start for Liverpool against the club he supported and joined as a boy, reacted brilliantly to tip away the centre-forward’s header.
Mateta was flagged offside but Madley played a good advantage as Liverpool broke via Ibrahima Konaté, Wirtz and Curtis Jones, who split the Palace defence with an inch-perfect pass to his fellow full-back, Andy Robertson. The Scotland captain sprinted on and, with Anfield imploring Robertson to mark one of his final home appearances with a goal, he obliged with a clinical finish into the far corner.
Woodman made another fine save to claw away Maxence Lacroix’s header from a corner, prompting a chorus of “England’s No 1” from the Kop. There was a chorus of disapproval after the stand-in’s next intervention, as Palace got back into the contest in contentious fashion. Woodman injured a knee when racing off his line to block a shot from Ismaïla Sarr. As the keeper raised his arm to call for treatment, prompting Liverpool players to instruct Daniel Muñoz to put the ball out of play, the Palace wingback chipped the rebound into an unguarded net. No Paolo Di Canio he.
Slot and Virgil van Dijk argued with the Palace bench while Woodman received lengthy treatment before continuing. Glasner rejected the idea that Liverpool should be gifted a goal on the basis that Muñoz shot “at the same time” as Woodman appealed for assistance. Slot insisted the referee should have halted play.
“To demand the referee has to stop the game can be very dangerous for the future,” said the Palace head coach. “If a goalkeeper saves the ball with his arm and then stops then it would end the second phase. That wouldn’t be the best for football.”
Muñoz was booed every time he touched the ball thereafter and hit on the head with a ball by a Liverpool fan when attempting to take a throw-in.
Palace wasted several clear openings to darken Liverpool’s mood further, Jørgen Strand Larsen hitting both posts when played through by Adam Wharton, but Wirtz sealed Liverpool’s victory with a superb finish in stoppage time.
