BENTEKE EARNS PALACE VICTORY ON RETURN TO LIVERPOOL
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool old-boy Christian Benteke (pic) stunned his former club with both Crystal Palace goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield, denting the home side’s top-four English Premier League ambitions.
Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, meanwhile, scored on their returns to the side as Manchester United improved their hopes of a top-four finish with a 2-0 win at Burnley yesterday.
The convincing victory, minus their top-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, sets up an intriguing Manchester derby visit to City, now just one point above United, on Thursday.
Benteke handed a massive boost to Palace’s survival hopes with a goal in each half to cancel out Philippe Coutinho’s brilliant opener for the Reds and turn the game on its head.
Liverpool paid £ 32mil (RM180mil) for Benteke when they signed him from Aston Villa in 2015 but sold him to Palace a year later.
The 26-year-old Belgian made them pay for that decision with goals in the 42nd and 74th minutes that moved Palace seven points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
The defeat left Juergen Klopp’s side stuck on third place just two points clear of fourth-placed City and three ahead of United in fifth.
Both Manchester clubs have two games in hand in the scrap for Champions League places, meaning Liverpool’s fate is no longer in their own hands.
Liverpool’s forwards turned on the tricks early on as Palace offered little attacking threat but on 21 minutes they almost stunned the hosts when Benteke bullied his way towards goal.
The Belgian international striker shrugged off defenders and exchanged passes neatly with Wilfried Zaha before bending a right-footed shot just wide of Simon Mignolet’s goal.
When the opening goal came, it came in real style in the 24th minute.
Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic was penalised for a foul on Coutinho, who dusted himself down before bending a brilliant right-footed free-kick past a help- less Wayne Hennessey from 25 metres.
Palace hit back to equalise with a wonderful, counter-attacking goal three minutes from half-time.
Joel Ward’s clever ball over the top dropped perfectly into the stride of Yohan Cabaye, who delivered a delicious cut-back from the right for Benteke to produce a crisp, firsttime finish at the far post.
Coutinho might have stamped his mark on the second half after just five minutes with a superb dragback in the Palace area to engineer some space.
But he blasted his shot high and wide.
He then produced some more magic to weave away from both Martin Kelly and Ward but this time his effort was deflected behind.
Coutinho should have restored Liverpool’s lead on 57 minutes but his header from a Nathaniel Clyne cross was tame and straight at Hennessey.
Out of nowhere, Cabaye missed a chance to give Palace the lead with 19 minutes remaining.
The ball dropped to the Frenchman in a goalmouth scramble and he scooped a shot just over from eight yards.
But there was no mistake moments later when the visitors stunned Anfield.
A right-wing corner by Andros Townsend was not cleared by Liverpool and Benteke headed home from a couple of yards.
Liverpool pinned Palace back in the closing stages but could not force an equaliser as Palace held on to win at Anfield for a third successive season.
The 21-year-old Martial’s 25th goal for United activates an incentive clause which means United must pay Monaco an additional �
10mil (RM47mil).
But that didn’t matter to manager Jose Mourinho as his side chased the all-important second goal.
It did arrive after 39 minutes, was far more scrappy but, potentially, vital for the fates of both clubs this season.
Martial was again pivotal as he gathered a clever pass from Paul Pogba and darted towards goal, producing a shot which goalkeeper Tom Heaton could only parry.
The ball broke to Rooney, who responded more quickly than his marker Michael Keane inside the six-yard area and forced the ball over the line, despite the efforts of Stephen Ward to clear.