Mohamed Salah Brace Saves Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace in Wild Match

Premier League title favourites Liverpool earned a 4-3 home victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday at Anfield to extend their lead over second-placed Manchester City to seven points.

The Reds, whose only loss of the campaign through 23 matches came in their away fixture against City, secured their 10th home win of the season. Mohamed Salah scored twice, while Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane also found the net to put more distance between them and their title rivals.

Crystal Palace suffered their third loss in the past four league matches. Andros Townsend, James Tomkins and Max Meyer tallied goals for the Eagles.

Liverpool Title Bid Will be Threatened By Lack of Depth

The Reds were dealing with well-documented injury woes heading into Saturday's match. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Georginio Wijnaldum missed the Palace fixture with short-term injuries, while Adam Lallana needed to pass a late fitness test to take his place on the bench.

Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain sidelined with more serious ailments.

Although those are undoubtedly notable absences, they don't excuse Liverpool's lackluster performance in the first half. They generated just three shots on target and often looked out of sync in the attacking third despite having 72 percent of the possession.

Scott Groom of the Anfield Index commented on the mundane showing:

The usual suspects—Salah, Firmino and Mane—once again came to the rescue in the second half. They led their side to three points despite some forgettable outings from the team's lesser players.

Yet, the comeback doesn't erase the concerns generated by the first 45 minutes. Liverpool were fortunate they were playing at home and facing an opponent mired in the bottom portion of the table for a majority of the campaign. Tougher opponents could have punished them.

Injuries are always a factor in the title race as the season wears on and more players begin picking up knocks that either keep them out of the starting XI or cause them to play at less than 100 percent.

Saturday's match showed Liverpool's stars can carry them through matches against lesser competition when the rest of the squad isn't at full strength. That's unlikely to happen during the latter stages of the campaign, especially when facing the league's other top clubs.

So, in all likelihood, the Reds are going to need much better performances from the likes of Joel Matip, Naby Keita and the rest of their squad players when they're called on to fill bigger roles in order to hold off City.

Andros Townsend Emerging As Elite Big-Match Performer

Townsend has never fully capitalized on his talent during a journeyman career that featured numerous loan stints across seven years with Tottenham followed by a short stay with Newcastle United and then his move to Palace in 2016.

The 27-year-old winger has always flashed terrific skill in the attacking third and tallied several highlight-reel goals over the years. He's been plagued by inconsistency, however, an issue that's continued this season with just three goals in 22 league games entering Saturday's match.

He finds a way to shine when the spotlight is at its brightest, though.

Townsend put together his best outing of the term in the Eagles' 3-2 away upset of City last month, scoring a goal-of-the-season contender and constantly pressuring the City back line. He also found the net in the club's visit to Stamford Bridge in November, though Palace suffered a 3-1 loss in that match.

The former England international still goes largely invisible in a fair share of matches, which has contributed to Palace's scoring woes this season. But he often finds a way to make an impact against the teams at or near the top of the table.

Crystal Palace will hope that trend continues during the term's second half, and the club wouldn't mind if he starts banging in some goals against everyone else too.

What's Next?

Injury-riddled Liverpool should benefit from an 11-day break before they return to action Jan. 30, when they welcome Leicester City to Anfield for a Premier League matchup.

Next up for Crystal Palace is a fourth-round FA Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Jan. 27.