Crystal Palace vs Liverpool. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,807.
Sunday 1 April 2018 06:31, UK
Mohamed Salah scored his 29th league goal as Liverpool came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park in Jurgen Klopp's 100th Premier League game in charge.
Roy Hodgson's side took the lead through captain Luka Milivojevic's 13th-minute penalty, which was given after Loris Karius brought down Wilfried Zaha.
The visitors were back on level terms just after the break through Sadio Mane (49) before Christian Benteke missed two glorious chances to restore Palace's lead.
It was left to Salah (84) to seal all three points for the Reds with his 29th league goal, equalling the record for the number of matches (21) scored in during a 38-game season set by Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08) and Robin van Persie (2012/13).
Karius was in the thick of the action in the opening stages, reacting well to turn Zaha's shot behind.
However, minutes later, the German raced off his line and took down Zaha just inside the penalty area. Referee Neil Swarbrick pointed to the spot before brandishing a yellow card to Karius. Milivojevic sent the goalkeeper to wrong way to score his seventh penalty of the campaign.
Liverpool appealed for a penalty of their own in the 24th minute when Mane went down under a challenge from James McArthur, but Swarbrick adjudged the Senegal forward to have gone down easily and booked him for simulation.
There was more frustration for Mane, who had the ball in the net in the 30th minute. Roberto Firmino rose highest to head the ball on from a corner, but Mane was correctly flagged offside before nodding past Wayne Hennessey from close range.
Mane's luck changed after the restart as he flicked Milner's low cross in at the near post for his ninth goal of the season.
The hosts should have been back in front as Benteke missed two clear-cut chances within the space of a minute, missing the target with only Karius to beat on both occasions.
Mane, who was later substituted by Klopp, was then lucky to avoid picking up a second yellow card for an intentional handball on the edge of the area and Karius kept out the resultant free-kick from Patrick van Aanholt.
Palace kept on pushing for a winner but in the end, they were punished by Salah, who was in the right place at the right time to control Andrew Roberton's driven shot before calmly placing the ball past the diving Hennessey to secure a dramatic late victory for his side.
Salah will be getting all the plaudits once again after his late strike secured Liverpool a late victory but Milner, who was filling in for the injured Emre Can, was excellent in the middle of the park for Klopp's side.
The 32-year-old was neat and tidy in possession and provided a cutting edge of the visitors in the final third, setting up Mane's 49th minute equaliser with a drilled cross towards the near post.
Roy Hodgson: "A little bit of Groundhog Day when we play against these top teams. We played quite well in the second half I thought, we controlled the ball better and created the better chances ourselves.
"But unfortunately we also conceded the two goals in that half, which would have seemed more likely in the first half when they had a lot of possession and put us under a lot of pressure."
Jurgen Klopp: "It was no dive; diving with a bit of contact is not possible. It was contact, 100 per cent. He wants to stay (on his feet) and then it doesn't work and he goes down.
"And the second yellow, I think it was a foul on Sadio. But then he made a wrong decision to put his hand on the ball.
"And then I thought 'okay that's it, au revoir, see you later'. I thought 'now he's gone', of course."
Graeme Souness: "Lots of plusses (for Liverpool), playing a very attractive football, a team that most neutrals would want to watch.
"But they have to start winning trophies as that is what you are judged on ultimately and that is the only thing that is missing.
"But I think they are certainly on the right road, they just need to win a trophy," said the Scot, who won the 1992 FA Cup while managing Liverpool.
"And if you win one, then it makes it so much easier going forward because you start to believe in yourself."
Crystal Palace are back in action next Saturday (April 7) when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth (3pm).
Meanwhile, Liverpool have a Champions League date against Manchester City at Anfield on Wednesday (April 4) before facing Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday (April 7), live on Sky Sports Premier League from 11.30am.
