Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool (Sarr 9′, Nketiah 90+7 | Chiesa 87′)
There are only six games gone, but it might be time to start talking about Crystal Palace’s title challenge. Well, maybe. It is very early.
But after watching them outplay the defending champions Liverpool at Selhurst Park, secure a 2-1 win they completely deserved, and move second in the table, it is hard not to think about it.
Eddie Nketiah kept his head to score with virtually the last kick of the game in the 97th minute after Federico Chiesa appeared to have earned the Reds a late point.
Ismaila Sarr’s third league goal of the season had given Palace the lead after just nine minutes, while Jean-Philippe Mateta hit the post in a dominant first half performance by the home side. Sub Chiesa scuffed Liverpool level, but there were still 10 minutes left for Nketiah to grab the sickener.
But it was no more than Palace deserved, or frankly might have expected. They are now 18 games unbeaten, equalling a club record with a run that dates back to 16 April. This calendar year they have only lost four games.
It was not Liverpool’s first team of course. Hugo Ekitike’s ill-advised celebration against Southampton during the week “forced” Arne Slot to deploy all £130m of Alexander Isak to make his first Premier League start.
With Florian Wirtz also coming into the starting line-up, they changes were worth more than £200m in total – but neither were allowed a kick in a game that was all about Crystal Palace.
They scored with just about the first chance of the game after Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool’s best player a week before against Everton, failed to deal with a corner at the back post and Sarr pounced on the loose ball to score from close range.
If Slot hoped the goal might shock his expensively assembled line-up into action, he was disappointed. Rather it gave Palace’s remarkable rearguard extra impetus, shoving back Liverpool midfielders trying to make space on the half-turn and harrying in numbers whenever one of them did manage to get into a hint of space.
And when Liverpool did give the ball away, as they regularly did, Palace struck hard and fast. It was only the brilliance of Alisson in the Reds’ goal, denying Daniel Munoz and then Mateta in quick succession. But the Brazilian was a spectator when the latter curled a 20-yard shot towards the top corner, and off the inside of the post, which then implausibly bounced clear.
Physical, east and intelligent, Mateta was more than a handful, and showed exactly why the Reds were so keen to sign Marc Guehi on deadline day. After Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury on debut, Joe Gomez – who also nearly left in the summer – is the only credible back up to Ibrahima Konate, who was tormented by the Palace forward and whom they chose not to press, confident he would not hurt them with his passing.
It is an odd hole in Liverpool’s squad, given their depth in other areas is so impressive. Curtis Jones came off the bench and passed the ball with real impetus while Jeremie Frimpong added width that Liverpool had so badly lacked for the first 65 minutes.
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But Guehi’s audition to play for the champions goes on, and keeping Salah quiet for virtually the whole game will have done nothing to cool Liverpool’s interest in him. They ended the game with Gravenberch partnering Virgil van Dijk, and fittingly it was Guehi who won the header for Nketiah to grab all three points.
For Palace’s part, it was assumed they would struggling without Eberechi Eze this season, unless someone like Yeremy Pino could adequately replace him.
But the evidence suggests that Palace, at least in games where the opposition is happy to have the ball, do not need individual stars; they need disciplined, intelligent footballers like Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell, Sarr and of course the tireless Mateta.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner has them incredibly well drilled and they seem to have utter belief in the Austrian’s system. Second in the table suggests they are right.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/0gkuEJe
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