Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from FA Cup Game
Liverpool advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals Saturday with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
After conceding the opening goal in the first half, the Reds powered back to score twice by way of Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana.
The win also broke a horrible spell of form for the club at the south London venue, as they suffered two heartbreaking results at the ground in the past year.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Liverpool's FA Cup fifth-round triumph.
Winner: Adam Lallana
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Lallana made a simple run around the Palace defense in the 58th minute that resulted in a crucial second goal for Liverpool.
The midfielder capitalized on a rebound created by Palace 'keeper Julian Speroni and powered home the goal that would eventually send the Reds to the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Lallana's goal was his sixth in 16 career FA Cup matches, which is a welcome number to the player who has scored five goals in 20 appearances in all competitions this season.
If the player reacts to the goal in a positive manner, Liverpool should have yet another attacking option firing on all cylinders during the business end of the season.
"You can see the confidence in the team and the composure. For us to get the victory like we did was very pleasing," Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said after the match, per Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo.
Loser: Julian Speroni
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After surviving a battering of shots in the first half, Speroni failed to keep his form up in the second half.
The biggest error committed by the Palace 'keeper came in the 58th minute, when he failed to collect Mario Balotelli's free-kick.
By letting the ball roll out back into the box, Speroni allowed Lallana to rifle the ball into the right side of the net.
When the second Liverpool goal went in, a normally resilient Palace side never recovered.
Now that the Eagles are out of the FA Cup, they will have to focus on staying above the English Premier League's relegation zone.
Winner: Mario Balotelli
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For the second time in less than a week, Balotelli provided Liverpool with a positive influence in attack off the bench.
The Italian replaced Lazar Markovic at the half, and he handed the Reds plenty of energy as they searched for the equalizer and game-winning strike.
With his side level with Palace in the 57th minute, Balotelli used his skill to earn a free-kick at the top of the penalty area. On the ensuing set piece, Balotelli's shot produced a rebound that Lallana finished off.
Without Balotelli earning a foul, the Reds may not have been presented with an easy opportunity to score the game-winner in the second half.
Based on his last two appearances for Liverpool, Balotelli is going to be a key contributor in some facet during the stretch run of the season for Liverpool.
"He's been working hard in training, and the penny's dropped," Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers told BT Sport after the match.
Loser: Alan Pardew
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Alan Pardew has made a lot of wise choices during his brief spell as Crystal Palace boss, but he did not succeed with his tactics Saturday.
In the first half, the Eagles let Liverpool dictate the match while they sat back and defended. When the second half began, Palace started to press more, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.
The strong Palace press impacted the game for four minutes before Daniel Sturridge knocked in the first Liverpool goal.
Due to Pardew's tactical failure, the Eagles suffered their second defeat under their new boss and were eliminated from the FA Cup.
"Liverpool had a grip of the game from the off, even though we scored. We only had control in minimal periods," Pardew told BT Sport after the match.
Winner: Dwight Gayle
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Despite failing to score against Liverpool, Dwight Gayle turned in a worthy showing in the Palace attack.
On a day where few positives came from his side in the final third, Gayle attempted to open up the Liverpool defense on countless occasions.
Throughout the first half, Gayle got into the penalty area and earned corners. But the Eagles failed to capitalize on those chances.
His biggest contribution came in the 16th minute, when his header forced Simon Mignolet into a two-handed save.
The Liverpool 'keeper didn't cleanly save Gayle's shot, which allowed Fraizer Campbell to jump in and finish off the only Palace goal.
Even though his side came out on the losing end of the final result Saturday, Gayle showed why the Palace attack can be dangerous if all the parts start to come together.
Loser: Martin Skrtel
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Martin Skrtel's poor play in the box allowed Palace to earn a surprising one-goal lead in the first half.
The Liverpool center-back misplayed a long pass from Joe Ledley, which allowed Gayle to latch on to the ball and challenge Mignolet.
After the rebound was created off Gayle's original shot, Skrtel failed to track Campbell's advances in the box. With no one else there to help him, Skrtel watched the ball fly into the back of the net.
Although Liverpool made up for the error with two goals in the second half, Skrtel's first-half blunder left some questions about the team's back three.
"The players turned it around. We showed great composure in the second half," Rodgers said following the victory, per Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo.
If errors like that happen over the next few weeks against better clubs like Besiktas, Southampton and Manchester City, Liverpool might not be able to recover.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
