Philippe Coutinho Hitting Elite Level as Liverpool Seal Win over Crystal Palace

Liverpool reached another landmark in their excellent start to the 2016/17 campaign by sealing a 4-2 victory away to Crystal Palace on Saturday evening, preserving their position at the top end of the Premier League table.

Efforts from Emre Can, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino were enough to secure the three points, despite defensive missteps from Lovren and left-back Alberto Moreno gifting two headed goals to Eagles midfielder James McArthur.

Moreno was the only Liverpool player to keep his place from Tuesday night's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup round of 16, and his inclusion was one of necessity, due to illness to key fixture James Milner.

Otherwise, Klopp's 10 changes saw him revert to his regular starting lineup, with Loris Karius returning between the sticks, behind a back four of Moreno, Lovren, Matip and Nathaniel Clyne, while Can joined Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana in midfield, supporting forwards Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho.

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It was an impressive performance that underlined Liverpool's fortitude under manager Jurgen Klopp this season, most notably in Lovren's response to his early error, charging up the other end to power a header past Steve Mandanda to make it 2-1 on 21 minutes.

The Reds are now 11 games unbeaten in all competitions and level on points with league leaders Manchester City and second-placed Arsenal, and Liverpool are pushing for England's elite with their performances this season so far.

At the heart of this is Coutinho, Liverpool's majestic No. 10 who fuelled victory in what Lallana described after the game on Instagram as "always a tough place to go," and the Brazilian's performance against the Eagles boosted his claim for the upper echelon of footballing talent.

Coutinho's sensational showing at Selhurst Park enhanced his case to enter the elite bracket, and this can only be a positive for Liverpool as they continue their challenge on three fronts in 2016/17. 

Against Palace, Coutinho lined up in his usual left-sided role in Klopp's 4-3-3, interchanging with Firmino and Mane in a fluid three-man forward line—but as has often been the case this season, the 24-year-old regularly drifted around, looking for space and stationing himself in the best position to receive the ball.

With Can rampaging forward as one of Klopp's dual box-to-box midfielders, Coutinho was given plenty of time in the half-space to dictate play, and this was no more apparent than in the build-up to the German's opener.

Found 40 yards out by Henderson, Coutinho lifted the ball over the Palace defence where Moreno had found space due to some slack marking from Wilfried Zaha, with the Spaniard drilling a first-time ball down for Can to turn home.

Coutinho's position outside the penalty area allowed him to utilise his exceptional vision to pick the lock, and this is something he utilised throughout the contest at Selhurst Park.

Able to take in the landscape of the clash from this area, Coutinho moved the ball around with a real fluency, shifting play to create space for his team-mates and prompting a change in pace with swift one-touch moves.

He saw 5.1 percent of ball possession, more than any Palace player on the night, and completed 83.7 percent of his attempted passes, second only to Henderson (84.6 percent) of Klopp's starting lineup and in line with his season's average of 84.5 percent.

Crucially, Coutinho made more key passes than any other player, with four, and tallied two assists, both from corners, with Lovren and Matip the eager recipients—the sharpness of his delivery from set-pieces improving by the game.

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Furthermore, with Moreno installed at left-back in place of Milner, Coutinho was also required to operate with a more refined defensive approach, covering for the No. 18's swashbuckling attacking style, and he did so with efficiency, making four successful tackles, again second only to Henderson (eight) in Klopp's side.

Coutinho has long been one of Liverpool's most effective attackers in terms of his pressing game, but this has improved significantly under Klopp—and this is a key factor behind his elevation since the 49-year-old's arrival.

"He is now 24, his work rate is outstanding and that’s important for the team," Klopp told reporters after the game. "You cannot change this because you cannot be a genius every day, but then you have to be kind of a proper football player still."

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Continuing his praise of Coutinho's contribution, Klopp said "with 10 [players pressing] it would have been difficult," and this is paramount to the former Inter Milan midfielder's importance to the Reds' game.

While under Brendan Rodgers he threatened to become something of a luxury player for Liverpool, frustrating with countless long shots against rigid opposition; he is now a crucial cog in Klopp's machine.

He has still made the second-most shots of any player in the Premier League so far this season, with 41, and the second-most from outside the penalty area, with 24, but he has also created the fifth-most chances, with 25, and has averaged the fifth-most tackles per 90 minutes of any regular attacking midfielder, with 1.9.

Coutinho has also scored five goals and laid on a further five assists in 11 games for Liverpool in all competitions this season, with this combined tally more than any of his team-mates; his combined tally of eight goals and assists in the league is second only to Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez (both nine).

There is a growing maturity to Coutinho's game, with his all-round contribution magnified by a consistency that has seen him also shine against Chelsea (away), Hull City (home), Swansea City (away), Manchester United (home) and West Bromwich Albion (home) already this season.

Ahead of Saturday's clash with Palace, ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher praised Coutinho's rise in his column for the Mail, recounting his experience of playing alongside him in the 2012/13 campaign:

"

You could see in training the quiet lad Liverpool signed from Inter Milan in January 2013 was skilful and had ability but I wasn’t sure what I saw at Melwood would translate to the biggest stage, given some of the things he did in those early matches.

Now look at him. Coutinho has become one of the stars of the Premier League, the driving force behind Liverpool’s impressive early form and the key to them sustaining what could yet become a challenge for the title. I’m not rolling my eyes any longer.

He is playing at such a level that you could put him in the No. 10 position of any of Liverpool’s rivals—Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United—and he would fit in seamlessly and enhance their quality.

"

Carragher also noted that "Klopp does not indulge luxury players," and underlined Coutinho's key status by recalling two of Liverpool's most important players from their title challenge in 2013/14, saying "[Steven] Gerrard and [Luis] Suarez have gone and Coutinho is now the man."

A glowing testimony from a player who has experienced his development firsthand, Carragher's words are significant praise for Coutinho, though his notion that he would "enhance" a host of other sides should stand as a warning. 

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Coutinho has already been touted with a move to one of Real Madrid or Barcelona in the future, with his compatriot, Ronaldo, recently telling Spanish radio station Onda Cero (h/t Sky Sports' Patrick Surlis) that he "would love to see Coutinho at Real Madrid."

With Coutinho now performing at international level, too, producing a series of stunning displays since Tite's appointment as Brazil manager—including a goal and an assist in October's 5-0 win over Bolivia—this should come as no surprise.

But it is a profound fear for Liverpool supporters, given the trajectory of Coutinho's progress and his status alongside the Premier League's leading lights—he is, after all, as incisive as ex-Barcelona forward Sanchez, and as influential as former Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil—but one that should motivate Klopp.

"A few months ago it was like 'he will go to Aston Villa and try to bring them back to the Premier League,'" he told reporters ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park, addressing speculation regarding Coutinho and Clyne. “What can I say? It’s better that they talk about Real Madrid and Barcelona."

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Klopp is right to see his players being linked with top-level sides as a compliment, because it highlights how they are performing at the standard required at such clubs.

Given Liverpool's league position at present, and their seemingly unstoppable form since their only defeat of the campaign, away to Burnley on Aug. 20, they are fit to provide a landscape for Coutinho to thrive as he pushes towards elite status.

He is far from the only player central to Liverpool's success—Firmino, Lallana, Matip, Henderson and Mane are similarly important, to name but five—and this is key to Klopp's side achieving glory this season.

Coutinho may have inherited the role of Merseyside's talisman from Gerrard and Suarez, but while before he was primed to outgrow his surroundings, the little magician is now in the perfect place to showcase his talents—and could well be rewarded for his efforts in due course.

Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics via WhoScored.com.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.