LIVERPOOL

Jurgen Klopp’s team ahead with a cool penalty on the stroke of half-time.

It was Salah who ignored the furious boos from the Selhurst crowd convinced he dived and who continually tormented their defence. It was Salah who forced Aaron Wan-Bissaka into the trip that got him sent off and left Palace ending the game with only 10 men.

And it was Salah who set up Sadio Mane for Liverpool’s second in stoppage-time.

Since Palace’s opening-day win at Craven Cottage, Wilfried Zaha has signed a new £130,000-a-week, five-year deal, which pretty much made it a very good summer for the club, along with Hodgson also penning a new one-year contract.

Memories of Selhurst Park have generally been good for Liverpool – except for the nightmare of May 2014, when the 3-3 draw there saw the title slip from their grasp. But they had won on their last three league visits to south London and, after an opening-day 4-0 thumping of West Ham, they arrived in as confident a mood as any in recent years.

New Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, manager Klopp revealed in the build-up to last night’s game, has been toughening up by using rugby tackle bags in training – which, when facing a player like Christian Benteke, might well have been good preparation.

Another Liverpool keeper, however, Loris Karius, was last night set to go to Besiktas on a two-year loan deal.

Liverpool were at Palace straight from the off. There were one or two shaky moments