Palace 2-1 Liverpool
by Gene Sylvester
at Selhurst Park

WHEN Crystal Palace play Liverpool, it is rarely a dull affair, and this game was on trend with the usual drama of this fixture with the Eagles dishing out some of Liverpool’s own medicine with a late, late winner to give them a well deserved 2-1 victory.

The last-minute goal came courtesy off Palace substitute Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute winner, following Frederico Chiesa’s 87th-minute equaliser which had looked like rescuing a point following Ismaila Sarr’s first-half opener, but it was the home side who delivered the final sucker punch.

The two sides came into this match boasting the only two remaining unbeaten records in the Premier League, with the home side seeking to set a new club record of 18 games unbeaten and they began the game intent on extending achieving that feat.

An in-swinging corner from from the left was won in the air by Ryan Gravenberch, but his header inadvertently dropped in the middle of the six-yard box, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam the ball home to open then scoring.

A couple of minutes later, the home side could have doubled their lead when Liverpool defender Ibrahima Koinate dallied on the ball and was dispossessed by Daichi Kamara whose tackle presented the ball to Jean Phillipe Mateta.

The French striker played in Sarr down the right, who was was unmarked, with the Senegalese playing the ball low back across the the Liverpool penalty area to Yeremy Pino — but the Spaniard’s effort at goal was straight at Allison Becker.

The home side continued to threaten Liverpool’s goal with a host of further chances falling to Daniel Munoz, whose effort at goal was parried by Allison with the ball popping back up to the Colombian but his follow-up attempted header was into the ground and bounced over the bar.

Shortly after Mateta found himself one on one with Allison, but his low effort was deflected away by the Brazilian‘s boot before striking the inside of Liverpool’s upright, with a curling effort from the edge of the box, before bouncing away to safety.

“The first half was great to watch,” beamed Palace boss Robert Glaser after the game. “I think it was the best half of football since we arrived. But the second half was immense pressure.”

The second half that the Crystal Palace Manager alluded to did see the Champions push for an equaliser, with new signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both having great opportunities to score the leveller.

But it was forgotten man Chiesa who swept home from 10 yards out following a Gravenberch clip into the penalty area to level the game.

However it was Crystal Palace substitute Nketiah who stole the headlines deep into injury time.

A long throw from the right by substitute Jefferson Lerma half cleared, but only to fellow substitute Will Hughes who headed the ball back into mix with the ball eventually dropping to the unmarked Nketiah at the back post who chested the ball down before finishing low between Allison’s legs with a clinical left-footed strike.

At the end of the game, Palace boss Glasner was delighted with the result.

“It’s great to win, and it’s great to win against the champions. But we are still in September. Last year we were the only team not to have won a game at this point in the Premier League, so we remain humble.”

Arne Slot was understandably less buoyant about the result.

“It was a disappointing end to the game, if one team deserved to win today it was Palace,” he said.