Lineker highlights ‘brilliance’ of one Liverpool man despite being ‘battered’ by Palace | OneFootball

Liverpool’s trip to Selhurst Park turned into a nightmare, but one man ensured the scoreline was not even worse.

Alisson brilliance saves Liverpool from bigger defeat

(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Gary Lineker could not hide his shock when assessing the champions’ 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

Speaking on The Rest is Football, he said: “Crystal Palace against Liverpool. I mean, wow, what a performance from Palace. That first half, I mean they battered [Liverpool], if it wasn’t for Alisson…”

The Brazil international produced a string of world-class saves to deny Yeremy Pino, Daniel Munoz and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Without those stops, the game could have been over by half-time. Palace hit the woodwork too, underlining just how stretched our defence was.

Ibou Konate’s performance was highlighted by Micah Richards and we were lucky that our No.1 was on hand to ensure we were still in the game.

Alisson has been here before, single-handedly bailing out a Liverpool side under pressure. But even his brilliance could not prevent Eddie Nketiah’s late winner after Federico Chiesa had briefly pulled us level.

Shearer highlights missed chances for Liverpool attack

(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Alan Shearer echoed the concerns about how open Liverpool looked but also turned the spotlight on our new-look frontline.

He said: “That was no fluke, Gary. They absolutely deserved to beat Liverpool. I know Liverpool came into it a little bit more in the second half.

“Wirtz had a big chance, missed it. Isak had a big chance, missed it, but Palace were the better team.

“They should have scored four or five in the first half, and they would have if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Alisson.”

German playmaker Florian Wirtz forced Dean Henderson into a save from close range, Wayne Rooney has questioned the performance level of our No.7 and it feels like pressure is mounting for him.

Whilst £125m forward Alexander Isak shot wide with a good opportunity, both chances summed up a frustrating afternoon for our attack.

This defeat raises questions about Liverpool’s defensive balance since Marc Guehi’s Deadline Day move collapsed, a player who might have added much-needed composure at the back.

Liverpool must now regroup quickly ahead of a Champions League clash with Galatasaray, knowing performances will have to improve if we are to defend our Premier League crown.

You can watch Lineker and Shearer’s comments on Alisson and Liverpool (from 6:01) via The Rest Is Football on YouTube:

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