Match report: Liverpool v Crystal Palace – 19 Aug 2017

The Reds rode to a 1-0 win at Anfield in the sunshine! Here is Georgia Goulding with our match report of Liverpool v Crystal Palace:

Anfield looked absolutely stunning this afternoon as Liverpool hosted Crystal Palace. The new pitch was definitely worth the wait to unveil – so crisp and beautiful!

Perhaps it was the shiny new pitch that brought Liverpool a pinch of luck as the Reds managed to clinch a slim 1-0 win.

It was a tight game for the majority. Liverpool dominated possession but couldn’t quite break through during the first 45 minutes. But thanks to a piece of magic from the main man Sadio Mané, the Reds broke the deadlock and took the lead in the second half.

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A change of defense

Klopp made five major changes in today’s starting lineup, and three of those were in the back four. Only Joel Matip remained the usual fullback choice.

Trent Alexander-Arnold sat the Palace clash out on the sidelines, watching with close friend Ben Woodburn. In his place was Joe Gomez who put in a pretty good shift considering his limited time on the pitch.

Ragnar Klavan replaced recently woeful Dejan Lovren to my delight. Newest signing Andy Robertson also made his Premier League debut for the team.

For once, the defense wasn’t the worst thing on the pitch! We seemed a lot less panicked in the back which was a relief to watch. The changes made today should definitely become a more permanent thing.

Robertson was particularly impressive, settling well into the left-back position and creating some beautiful chances into the box. His marking and blocking was up to scratch and he seemed to gel comfortably with James Milner. The two could grow into a great left side defensive force together.

A player I’m extremely concerned about is our Number 5. Where’s he gotten to? Wijnaldum has had some extremely poor games recently. Where he usually threatens defenders and looks dangerous on the ball, he’s been lethargic and looks half asleep.

This afternoon he failed to really impact the game at all. Let’s hope this dry spell is temporary and the normal Gini will resurface.