Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Liverpool moved level on points with leaders Manchester City and second-placed Arsenal, after beating Crystal Palace 4-2 at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Reds trail the top two only on goal difference, after a wild game saw five goals scored in the first half.

Emre Can started the first-half goal rush, before James McArthur equalised. Dejan Lovren was culpable for the equaliser, but the Croatian centre-back soon headed Liverpool back in front, only for McArthur to again cancel out the lead.

Joel Matip came up with a fine header of his own to give the Reds a 3-2 lead at the break, before Roberto Firmino made the points safe late in the second half.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp stuck with a familiar forward line, one led by cerebral false striker Firmino. With Georginio Wijnaldum not yet deemed fit enough to start, Can partnered Jordan Henderson in the middle.

As for Palace, manager Alan Pardew was relying on playmaker Yohan Cabaye and ex-Liverpool target man Christian Benteke to create chances and get goals. BBC Sport detailed both lineups:

Things were pretty static for the first 15 minutes until Can's opener, but the goal proved worth the wait. It arrived after a lovely lifted pass from Philippe Coutinho found left-back Alberto Moreno free on the overlap. The Spaniard knocked the ball across the box first-time, and Can poked home.

There are few sides as dangerous as Liverpool once they have the lead. So it proved as the Reds poured forward in the immediate aftermath of Can's goal, with Coutinho twice narrowly failing to slide Sadio Mane through.

Yet for all their attacking verve, Liverpool are always prone to a calamity at the back. The latest came when Lovren sliced a clearance to allow James McArthur to loop a header over out-rushing goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Squawka summed up the Reds' vulnerability at the back:

Lovren soon made amends, though, when he headed in a corner at the right end. But Liverpool still couldn't relax, even after regaining the lead.

So it proved when McArthur pounced again by beating Lovren to Wilfried Zaha's cross, as the Reds offered yet another reminder of their weaknesses in defence.

The goal marked a career-high for McArthur, according to WhoScored.com:

His goal also capped a wild few minutes, detailed by OptaJoe:

Fortunately for the visitors, they remain deadly going forward. Moreno cannoned a shot off the outside of the woodwork, and Coutinho headed against the inside of the post, albeit prompted by a touch from Palace 'keeper Steve Mandanda.

Not deterred, Liverpool were soon pouring forward again. Sadly, a cheetah-fast break ended with Adam Lallana screwing a low cross a whisker wide of goal.

Mandanda had done well to deny Coutinho, but he might have done better when Matip rose highest to score Liverpool's second from a corner. The centre-back's header was too strong for Mandanda, even though he had both hands in a position to push it over the top.

Liverpool had shown their best and worst qualities in the first half. Fittingly, BBC and BT Sport pundit Gary Lineker felt more inclined to praise the former part of the Reds' performance:

Liverpool were indeed setting high standards both on and off the ball. Klopp's players pressed remorselessly, applying pressure high up the pitch and denying Palace breathing space. When they won possession, the men from Anfield recycled the ball quickly and inventively, combining at speed on the break.

Palace couldn't match the technical quality, but their determined and robust style gave the visitors something to think about in the second half. First Benteke, anonymous before the break, drew Karius into a save. The German stopper later had to be quick to smother the ball ahead of Cabaye's late run.

Still, Pardew's side was lacking inspiration. He tried to provide some by introducing Andros Townsend, surprisingly left out of the starting XI, off the bench for Lee Chung-yong.

Christopher Lee/Getty Images

However, the game swung away from Palace in a period of seconds ahead of the final 20 minutes. First, Zaha was denied a penalty after appearing to be bundled over by Can just inside the box, but referee Andre Marriner was unmoved.

With concentration broken for perturbed Palace, some slick Liverpool passing ended with Henderson threading through Firmino. The Brazilian gently lifted in the finish.

Scoring four times has become a familiar theme for Klopp's team this year, per OptaJoe:

This prolific form is making Liverpool genuine title contenders.

Post-Match Reaction

Klopp was suitably effusive in his praise for influential playmaker Coutinho, who ran the show, per the Liverpool Echo:

Meanwhile, skipper Henderson, brilliant for the fourth goal, talked up an impressive win at a tough venue, per the league's official site:

By contrast, Palace chief Pardew bemoaned the performance of referee Marriner, per the London Evening Standard:

Without the extra work of European football, Klopp's players can continue unleashing his high-energy press and counter style of play on bewildered opponents all season.