Alisson bails out Liverpool in sloppy win at Crystal Palace

Liverpool FC has not lost a game where they’ve taken the lead since January 24, 2021.

That streak continued on Sunday with the Reds defeating Crystal Palace 3-1 in Premier League action, cutting their deficit in the standings to just nine points behind Manchester City.

Liverpool completely battered the hosts at Selhurst Park out of the gate, breaking through early with a bullet header from Virgil Van Dijk off a corner kick from Andy Robertson. The Reds doubled their lead before the break with an even better assist from Robertson, sending in an aerial cross to the chest of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a quick collect and finish.

(Speaking of assists, the leaderboard for the Premier League is looking entirely Red these days.)

Back to the match, Jurgen Klopp’s squad were comfortably cruising through the first half until Crystal Palace found footing just before the break, finding opportunities on Liverpool misplays with Alisson having to bail the Reds out. Palace continued to create chances early in the second half until they finally broke through on a runner from midfield resulting in an Odsonne Édouard tap-in.

Liverpool fans were then treated to a thirty-minute nail-biting as the Reds sloppily held on to a one-goal lead. However, they were given an absolute gift in a controversial penalty kick after an apparent foul on Diogo Jota by Palace keeper Vicente Guaita – which Fabinho hit the right corner of the net and secured the Red’s win.

Alisson Becker was the saving grace for the Reds today with four stellar saves, several of which bailed out complete misplays by his Liverpool teammates. Some matches recently haven’t required much of Alisson, but he delivered on Sunday when necessary.

Looking at the expected goals (xG) for this one, Palace topped the Reds 1.82 to 1.48. This was an incredibly sloppy three points for Liverpool, but three points nonetheless. The Reds now trail Manchester City by nine points in the Premier League table, still with a game in hand.

Liverpool will return to top-flight action after a two-week break Thursday, February 10, hosting Leicester City following a FA Cup match against Cardiff City on February 6.

Alisson – 9 (Man of the Match)

Alisson is the sole reason the Reds did not draw or even lose this match. He completely bailed out Liverpool on two horrendous misplays in the first half with brilliant saves on Micheal Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta. In the second half, he batted away a potential equalizer, sacrificing his body to the post in the process. He could not do much on Palace’s lone goal, left alone against two attackers. Alisson finished the match with four saves, every single one completely crucial.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7

Trent Alexander-Arnold had a fantastic first half, continuing his recent form of being a creative and quick offensive force. However, the Scouser struggled more in the second half to get anything done with Crystal Palace threats forcing him to play much more defensively before being subbed off.

Joel Matip – 5

Matip looked a bit lost on Sunday with many misplays, including a horrendous pass that gave Crystal Palace a brilliant opportunity that Allison thankfully stopped in the first half. However, he generally looked completely uncomfortable on the ball and could not contribute in any significant positive way.

Virgil van Dijk – 8

Virgil Van Dijk smashed his header into the net to open the scoring on Sunday. Otherwise, Van Dijk was crucial in keeping the Reds paced and composed as Crystal Palace began taking more and more ground, with a stellar 93% pass success and winning both aerials he was involved in.

Andy Robertson – 9

With Liverpool controlling possession, Robertson became a serious offensive threat against Palace. Oxlade Chamberlain opposite field and placed a perfect pass right to Ox’s chest to assist Liverpool’s second goal. He is currently third in the Premier League for assists this season. When Palace began attacking, Robertson successfully switched to defensive mode to help counter.