Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace: The Big Match Review

Liverpool remain in the driving seat for a Champions League place after a spirited performance against Crystal Palace at Anfield. 

The win moves the Reds up to fourth, level on points with both Aston Villa and Manchester United - with Liverpool heading to Old Trafford next Sunday. 

The match itself was a mixture between the old and new guard, with Alexander Isak making only his sixth start for Liverpool, with Mo Salah (possibly making his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt - more on that later), Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo in a three behind him. 

Elsewhere, Freddie Woodman made his Premier League debut for the Reds, with injuries to both Alison Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The former Preston North End goalkeeper is likely to be in goal for the rest of the season. 

Meanwhile, Andy Robertson, leaving the club in the Summer, started at left back. 

The majority of the first half was a slightly dull affair, with neither side really making any attacking headway, and it appeared to be heading toward a damp squib. 

That was until Isak, who had been largely anonymous until that point, was in the right place to poke a Curtis Jones deflected shot into the back of the net. 

One-nil to Liverpool, and just as importantly, Alexander Isak's fourth goal for the club. 

From there, the home side turned the screw and didn't have to wait long before Andy Robertson scored Liverpool's second, following a genuinely world-class save from Freddie Woodman off a Jean-Philippe Mateta header.

The counterattack that followed had the speed, bravery and tenacity that had been missing throughout this season, and was just deserts for Robertson, who had been at his very best throughout the match.

Liverpool kept the attacking threat up into the second half, but with a rusty Alexander Isak leading the line, the Reds weren't able to build on their dominance. A situation made worse when Mo Salah was forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury just before the hour, with Arne Slot stating that we would have to “wait and see” if the Egyptian legend would play on again. 

With Salah off injured, Palace took advantage of the change in mood and appeared to set themselves up for a grandstand finish when Daniel Munoz took advantage of an injured Woodman after 71 minutes. 

Aggrieved that the goal stood, the goal caused a massive dent in the team - and the stands - as the atmosphere took a decidedly nervous tone. 

However, the imperious Freddie Woodman remained resolute in goal, whilst Crystal Palace have more importantly games on the horizon, namely the Semi-Final of the Conference League on Thursday.
So, manager Oliver Glasner rang the changes and Palace lost their own attacking endeavour.

It still took until the 96th minute for Liverpool to finally put the game to bed, but it was worth it -  Joe Gomez's long throw was controlled by Alexis Mac Allister, before leaving on a plate for Florian Wirtz to smash the ball into the top left corner of the goal. 

That's now three wins from three for Arne Slot's side, and a victory that leaves Liverpool, Villa, and Man United eight points ahead of Brighton in sixth. Victory against Man United at Old Trafford will move Liverpool up to third, and all but guarantee Liverpool's participation in next year's Champions League. 

So things are looking up for the Reds, but Saturday's game was a result of individual performances. Freddie Woodman, Curtis Jones, and Alexis Mac Allister, all seemed to take the game to the opposition in a way that has been absent for so much of this season. 

Woodman, especially, deserves particular praise. This was only on his third appearance for the club, and he would be forgiven for only seeing himself as the ‘extra man' within the squad. But as recent interviews and comments from the goalkeeper have mentioned, Woodman has never been the kind of player to shrink away from responsibility. 

So, despite being his first start in League football for nearly a year, Woodman never looked overawed, and it took an injury for the opposition to get past him.

He's clearly built a rapport with the players around him and appears to be extremely happy within the squad and the set-up, so it seems inevitable that the club will look to renew his contract this summer - even if it's just to make up the numbers.