CRYSTAL PALACE 1
3 ........... Shots on Target ........ 6 3 ........... Shots off Target ........ 4 0 ............. Blocked Shots .......... 6 4 ................... Corners ................ 6 6 ..................... Fouls ................... 8 1 ................... Offsides ................. 1 2 .............. Yellow Cards ........... 2 0 ................. Red Cards .............. 0 62.9... Passing Success %83.4 24 ................. Tackles ............... 16 75 .......... Tackles Won % ....... 75 31.9 ......... Possession % ...... 68.1 45.6 .... Territorial Adv% . 54.4 307 .......... Total Passes ......... 661 16 ............ Total Crosses ......... 30 24.3 ...... 1st Half Poss % . ... 75.7 40.2 .... 2nd Half Poss %. ..59.8 Hennessey 6, Wan-Bissaka 6 (Fosu-Mensah 88), Kelly 6, Sakho 7, van Aanholt 5, McArthur 6, Milivojevic 8, Cabaye 6 (Loftus-Cheek 73, 6), Townsend 6, Zaha 6, Benteke 4. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Lee, Souare, Delaney, Riedewald.
Karius 5, Alexander-Arnold 6, Matip 6, van Dijk 7, Robertson 7, Wijnaldum 6 (Lallana 65, 5, Lovren 70, 6), Henderson 7, Milner 8, Salah 7, Mane 6 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 65, 6), Firmino 6. Subs not used: Mignolet, Clyne, Moreno, Ings. REFEREE: Neil Swarbick 6. ■■Mo Salah has now scored in 21 different Premier League games this season — a jointhigh for a 38-game season in the competition (Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08 and Robin van Persie in 2012-13). ■■Salah has been involved in 38 Premier League goals this season (29 goals, 9 assists), the most by any player in the competition since Luis Suarez in 2013-14 (43). ■■Crystal Palace are the first team to lose three consecutive Premier League home games thanks to goals conceded in the final 10 minutes (88th vs Tottenham, 90th vs Man Utd and 84th vs Liverpool). ■■Sadio Mane became the joint-highest scoring Senegalese player in Premier League history, equalling Demba Ba’s haul of 43 in the competition. ■■It was also Mane’s fifth Premier League strike against Crystal Palace – more than he’s got against any other opponent. ■■Christian Benteke has missed 20 of the 22 big chances he’s had in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. JURGEN KLOPP didn’t need telling that his Liverpool side won’t get away with this sort of generosity against Manchester City.
The Reds might have warmed up for Wednesday’s big Champions League showdown with a win, but most people inside Selhurst Park will be wondering how.
They were careless in possession, jittery at the back and sloppy in front of goal – a cocktail for disaster in most matches.
But most teams, just as City have already found out to their cost, don’t have 37-goal Mo Salah in their ranks. Last week’s international break has done little to deflect the Egyptian’s bid to win the Golden Boot. The PFA Player of the Year award could also beckon for Salah, who has equalled the league record of scoring in 21 matches in a 38-game season, with six games to spare.
City’s spies left with answers to a question we already know – Liverpool have the attacking armoury but, yes, defensively they remain all at sea.
“Coming together for one day, bringing them onto one level, it’s a big challenge,” said Klopp, after his 100th Premier League game in charge.
“Our players have had to come back from completely different countries and different time zones.
“You could see physically we’re not quite at our best. We didn’t play our best football, but we got the victory.
“Now we have to prepare to play Manchester City and we will have to play better against them. But we are very excited to be playing City in a Champions League quarter-final. And no one should be worried. My boys are really on fire.
“We got two wonderful goals after a tough start.
“I think the moment the ball passes the defender and it’s Mo, you feel good.
“It was a very cool finish – and long may that form continue.”
Salah showed he had ice in his veins with his 84th-minute winner.
In contrast, Christian Benteke froze when presented with chances to earn Crystal Palace a much-needed win in their fight to beat the drop.
The Liverpool fans spent 12 months berating Benteke’s impact on Merseyside.
Yesterday they were left thanking him. The Belgian watched on as Wilfried Zaha, who was always going to reach the ball first, was hauled down by Loris Karius’s rash run off his line in the 13th minute.
Luka Milivojevic, something of a penalty expert, converted for the seventh time this season.
While Zaha’s claims were clear, the same could not be said for Sadio Mane’s attempt in the 24th minute.
Well placed to cross, Mane threw himself to the floor as James McArthur challenged and was booked for diving.
Mane pleaded his innocence but referee Neil Swarbrick got it spot on.
Just as the assistant referee did when Mane was adjudged offside after heading in James Milner’s corner. As it was, Mane