Mohamed Salah scored his 200th Liverpool goal as Jurgen Klopp’s team staging a late comeback against a 10-man Crystal Palace, seizing the top spot in the Premier League and intensifying the scrutiny on their former manager, Roy Hodgson.
Salah joined an elite group of Liverpool legends, including Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson, and Billy Liddell, as the fifth player to achieve the milestone. He sparked the comeback with a 76th-minute equalizer.
The decisive moment unfolded in the first of 10 minutes of added time, courtesy of Harvey Elliott’s spectacular strike from the edge of the penalty area, propelling Liverpool past Arsenal.
Salah’s goal swiftly followed Jordan Ayew’s dismissal, occurring just 98 seconds after the Crystal Palace player received a second yellow card. Until that point, the visitors had failed to register a shot on target.
Despite being jeered by their fans after a disappointing home loss to Bournemouth on Wednesday, Palace seemed poised to dent Liverpool’s title aspirations following Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty. The controversial decision, involving Jarell Quansah’s challenge on Mateta, saw the video assistant referee intervene, leading to a spot-kick awarded by referee Andy Madley after a brief review at the pitchside monitor.
During the first half, Palace witnessed a reversed penalty decision after a three-minute review by Madley, who assessed a challenge by Will Hughes on Endo in the lead-up to Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Odsonne Edouard inside the box.
Despite Liverpool’s dominance, breaking down the hosts proved challenging, and the returning Alisson made a stunning save in the first half by deflecting Jefferson Lerma’s first-time shot onto the post.
Once again, the Brazilian goalkeeper played a crucial role, making an excellent stop to deny Joachim Andersen’s header from a free-kick in the 100th minute, preventing a dramatic twist.
After overcoming Palace’s spirited resistance, the victory propelled the Reds one point above last season’s runners-up Arsenal. The Gunners were scheduled to face third-placed Aston Villa later on Saturday at 17:30 GMT.
“I told the boys that’s the first game I’ve seen somebody play as bad as we did for 76 minutes and still win,” Klopp told TNT Sports.
“In this period of the year we have to get through, we need results. Nobody is in for the Oscar award for best football game ever, it’s about three points. We got them and we are more than happy.”
Liverpool show title momentum
In a match marked by frustration and limited clear-cut chances, Liverpool showcased their title-worthy resilience with a late rally. Their only league defeat this season remains the contentious stoppage-time loss at Tottenham, solidifying their status as genuine contenders for the title.
Similar to their current closest rivals, Arsenal, Klopp’s team exhibits an impressive ability to turn setbacks into victories.
They lead the league with 14 goals scored in the last 15 minutes of matches, and their unmatched tally of 18 points earned from losing positions underscores their resilience.
While reigning champions Manchester City have faced stumbling blocks, Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to nine games, temporarily overtaking Arsenal in the standings.
Klopp, who openly disapproves of early Saturday kick-offs, made five changes to refresh his side from Wednesday’s victory over Sheffield United, with goalkeeper Alisson’s return from a two-match injury absence being one of them.
Despite maintaining control of the game, the trip to Selhurst Park seemed to be slipping away as Liverpool struggled to test Sam Johnstone, relying on Alisson’s quick reflexes to avoid falling behind.
The task of rescuing a late result was significantly eased by Ayew’s departure, and Liverpool, spurred on by Salah’s equalizer, showed relentless determination, culminating in Elliott’s spectacular goal as their well-deserved reward.
Salah’s milestone of 200 goals has been achieved in 327 appearances for the club since his £34 million transfer from Roma in June 2017. Over this period, he has also contributed 86 assists, and there is no doubt that he will play a crucial role in their pursuit of a sustained title challenge.
“I see the mentality to keep fighting until the end. We keep doing that,” said Salah, who also reached 150 Premier League goals, on the similarities between the current side and Liverpool’s 2019-20 title winners.
“We have a new team now because there’s six or seven [new] players. We need to give them advice. They’re learning a lot and they’re really nice. We can do something special this year.”
Pressure on Hodgson to inspire change of fortune
While this performance marked an improvement from the loss to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace finds themselves in a precarious position, with increasing pressure on Hodgson to demonstrate his ability to turn their fortunes around.
Recent results paint a challenging picture, with Palace securing only one victory in their last nine league matches, enduring six defeats and accumulating a mere five points.
This run places them just seven points above the relegation zone before the weekend’s remaining fixtures, with particular concern stemming from recent losses to Everton, Luton, and Bournemouth—teams currently positioned below them in the league standings.
Hodgson has not eased the scrutiny, having apologized to the fans this week for characterizing their boos at the end of Wednesday’s match as a sign of being “spoiled” in recent times.
Having been sacked as Liverpool boss after just 20 matches in 2011, Hodgson has faced eight defeats in all meetings against his former club during Klopp’s tenure. Despite this, he might have sensed an opportunity as his team fought to maintain their advantage until the latter stages of the match.
However, Ayew’s expulsion, resulting from a second yellow card for impeding a Liverpool counter-attack, signaled the beginning of Palace’s downfall. This defeat extends their streak to four consecutive home losses in the Premier League, a situation not experienced since February 2017.
The upcoming challenge doesn’t lighten for them, as they face a tough away fixture against Manchester City.
“To say I’m gutted about the way that game went and the result we have had to accept today would be an incredible understatement,” Hodgson told BBC Sport.
“I am very disappointed. I think we were very harshly treated. Unfortunately going down to 10 men cost us. I told the referee what I thought at the end of the game. I’m not going to repeat it. He might.”