MAN OF THE MOMENT
Palace in Salah daze as he wins a penalty and forces Bissaka into a red-card foul in a gritty Reds victory
IT HAS not taken long for Mo Salah to make himself the centre of attention again.
Caught up in a cheating storm and causing Crystal Palace to be reduced to 10 men, it was all about Salah at Selhurst Park.
That, you suspect, will be the way it remains for the rest of the season as Liverpool’s danger man was too quick, too dangerous and ultimately too good. Palace were furious about the penalty for Liverpool’s opener, but TV replays suggested defender Mamadou Sakho did make enough contact on the Egyptian to send him over.
And there can be no doubt about the red card for Palace’s young right-back Aaron WanBissaka, who brought down Salah in full flight just yards outside the box as he raced clear after.
Sadio Mane (right) rubbed salt in the Palace wounds by scoring the Reds’ clincher in stoppage-time. Salah, the 44goal top scorer of last season, was the difference in what must go down as a test of Liverpool’s title credentials, which they passed with flying colours.
This fixture has a history to it ever since it was christened “Crystanbul” after Liverpool blew a threegoal lead here and effectively the title on a Monday night in May 2014.
It mirrored what Liverpool did to AC Milan in Istanbul in the 2005 Champions League final and yet, by the way Jurgen Klopp’s men started, they are not haunted by any ghosts. Liverpool looked sharp, quick and the front three of Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah appeared to be in the mood to run Palace’s defence ragged. Time and again, Liverpool’s midfield new boy Naby Keita pulled the strings in midfield as he released Salah who uncharacteristically chipped a shot over the bar. Keita had a go himself, but Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey saved well at his near post.
Palace also had their moments as Andros Townsend smashed a 25-yard left-footed shot against the crossbar.
But the game really came to life in the dying moments of the first half. Palace fans were enraged when Patrick van Aanholt was booked after a brutal challenge on James Milner. Then shortly afterwards, the home crowd
were even more incensed after referee Michael Oliver awarded a penalty amid controversy after Salah went down under Sakho’s challenge.
Salah was definitely clipped, but the Liverpool star seemed to delay his fall. It still looked a clear penalty – although the Palace fans are never likely to agree.
Up stepped Milner to slot calmly home and Palace fans were still going crazy shortly afterwards as they accused Salah of diving as the players trudged off at half-time with Liverpool ahead. Salah was booed with every touch by the Palace fans in the second half and you have to wonder if it affected him, as for the first half-hour nothing went his way.
Whether it was the ball running out of play, near misses or openings going begging it did not run for Salah, although his job was already done.
But suddenly he was at the centre of another storm with 15 minutes left as he raced clear only for Wan-Bissaka to trip him with a professional foul, which not even the Palace fans could complain about.
Mane was first to a clearance in the 93rd minute, saw off Van Aanholt then rounded Hennessey and put the ball into an empty net.
They will win no popularity contests in south-east London, but Liverpool are clearly ready to push Manchester City all the way in the title race.