Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Crystal Palace increased the pressure on Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers with an impressive 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Palace moved out of the Premier League's bottom three with the win despite going behind after barely 90 seconds to Rickie Lambert's first league goal in a Liverpool shirt. Dwight Gayle—the hero of Palace's 3-3 draw against the same opponents six months ago—equalised soon after before goals from Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak in the second half completed a remarkable Palace turnaround.
Here are some winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Yannick Bolasie
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The game's most influential player earned a rapturous reception when he was substituted in the closing minutes, a deserved acknowledgement of his overall performance. Yannick Bolasie was far and away Palace's most dangerous player, with his two assists ultimately deciding the course of the game.
The first was slightly inadvertent, the winger's low drive rebounding off the post perfectly for Dwight Gayle to slide home. The second was all class, however, as he fooled Glen Johnson with a brilliant piece of skill before laying the ball off perfectly for Joe Ledley to slide home.
Almost every time Bolasie got the ball he looked a threat, just as he did in last season's 3-3 draw between the two sides. The Congo international has come on leaps and bounds in recent seasons—this was another reminder of his sizeable improvement in front of a televised audience.
Loser: Brendan Rodgers
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The pressure was always going to mount on the losing manager in this game, and so it is Brendan Rodgers who will now have to face a more aggressive brand of music.
It was not just the result but the manner of it that will have frustrated Liverpool fans, as the Reds squandered a near-perfect start on the way to being outclassed the longer the game went on.
Liverpool were suspect in defence and lacking in ideas in midfield, a combination that made life easier for a Palace side that was primed to take full advantage. Bolasie is a talented winger, but there is no way he should have been as influential as he was—especially after the similar pasting he gave Liverpool's back line in the same fixture last season.
Palace are now only two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table—and their start to the campaign has hardly been a good one. The pressure now mounts on Rodgers, who is in greater need than ever of some correct answers.
Afterward, he told Sky Sports:
"We are obviously low on confidence at the moment in terms of the results and I think the intensity of our game just dropped right off.
We concede poor goals, but we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves. As manager, I take full responsibility for it.
"
Winner: Neil Warnock
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If the pressure is mounting on Rodgers, then it makes sense that it would be released from the shoulders of his opposite number, Neil Warnock.
This was a vital win for Warnock, who arguably faced the very real possibility of being sacked had Palace lost the game (which would have left them 19th in the table). When Lambert put Liverpool ahead, the boss must have feared the worst, but his team dug deep and showed great character to deliver a hugely important three points.
Palace still have a lot of work to do, and upcoming home games against Aston Villa and Southampton may prove equally important in defining their hopes for the rest of the season. For now, however, Warnock can return to the club's training ground next week with a greater spring in his step.
Afterward, Warnock noted to Sky Sports:
"That was a Neil Warnock performance today, I thought. I was really proud of them.
Apparently they aren’t having me are they, some of them? But if that’s a team that isn’t having me, I don’t know what to do.
I thought they were fantastic today and couldn’t have given me another ounce of effort. We played some good stuff as well.
"
Loser: Liverpool's Defence
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Liverpool were abject in almost every regard for much of the afternoon, but it was noticeable how little their midfield did with and without the ball.
The visitors dominated possession without managing to create many clear-cut chances, while they also left their defence horribly exposed to the Palace counter-attack. It was a horrible combination, one that was always going to make winning this sort of game a difficult proposition.
Adam Lallana provided the smart assist for Lambert's opener, but after that, he was relatively anonymous, as were Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling. Joe Allen tried his best but was hampered by an early head wound, while Steven Gerrard continued his recent run of abject form, which also included some uncharacteristically sloppy attempts from free-kicks.
Without Jordan Henderson to knit things together, Liverpool's midfield looks every bit as disjointed as their attack does without Daniel Sturridge (or Luis Suarez).
Winner: Rickie Lambert
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He ended up on the losing side, but Rickie Lambert at least grabbed his first Premier League goal for the club he famously supported as a boy.
He was also far more active and influential in the first half—when Liverpool were actually in the ascendency—than Mario Balotelli, injured this weekend, has been in almost all his appearances to date. Lambert cannot be absolved from blame for the poor team performance and the final result, but his goal surely means he warrants stronger consideration for more starts in the weeks until Daniel Sturridge returns.
Winner: Martin Kelly
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Martin Kelly was almost entirely at fault for Liverpool's opening goal, which only makes his response all the more impressive.
The right-back has looked nervous and often out of form ever since arriving at Selhurst Park, but against his former club, he grew in stature as the game went on, eventually helping to secure the right flank as Palace stormed to a hugely creditable victory.
Kelly still has a lot of work to do to convince of his worth in this Palace side, but this was a decent display in difficult circumstances. To help secure a win over his boyhood club must be hugely satisfying.
