Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool. Liverpool maintained their strong start to the season with a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions, beating Crystal Palace 1-0. However, the win came with a setback as goalkeeper Alisson suffered an injury and had to be substituted.
The game was decided by Diogo Jota’s first-half goal, where the Portuguese forward took advantage of poor Palace defending to convert Cody Gakpo’s cross. As the match neared its conclusion, Alisson appeared to injure his hamstring while making a clearance, leading to his replacement by Vitezslav Jaros, who made his debut in the final 10 minutes.
Liverpool’s dominance continues, with just one loss in the Premier League so far. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace remains without a win, enduring their fourth defeat in seven games. Palace had a bright moment early on when Eddie Nketiah’s goal was disallowed for offside, and Ismaila Sarr forced a good save from Alisson just before halftime.
Though Liverpool controlled much of the game, their inability to score a second goal kept Palace in contention. Alisson was called into action twice in the second half, denying both Nketiah and Eberechi Eze as Palace pressed for an equalizer. After Alisson’s substitution, Palace had one last chance through Eze, but his shot was straight at Jaros, who handled it comfortably.
The win propelled Liverpool four points clear at the top of the table before the afternoon matches began. Palace, however, remain stuck in the relegation zone with only three points from seven games.
Under new manager Arne Slot, Liverpool’s post-Jurgen Klopp era has started exceptionally well. This latest victory extends their perfect record in away games to four matches, a feat they’ve achieved only twice before in their history. Slot also joins an elite group of Premier League managers to win their first four away matches, following in the footsteps of Felipe Scolari, John Gregory, and Bobby Gould.
Despite the win, fatigue seemed to take its toll on Liverpool in the second half, following a midweek Champions League match. Slot acknowledged the tight turnaround for the 12:30 BST kickoff, though Liverpool managed to hold on for the win despite a spirited Palace fightback.
The main concern for Liverpool will be the extent of Alisson’s injury, as the Brazilian looked visibly frustrated but walked off the pitch unaided.
For Crystal Palace, it’s been a disappointing start to the season. Despite their struggles in the first half, they showed more attacking intent in the second half, especially after the introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta. A couple of key saves by Alisson before his substitution denied them a point that their improved second-half performance may have deserved.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner expressed frustration after the game, feeling that his side should have been awarded a penalty when Virgil van Dijk pulled back Marc Guehi inside the box. “For me, it was a clear foul,” Glasner said, adding that VAR should have intervened.
With the international break approaching, Glasner will have time to regroup ahead of challenging fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.
source – BBC
