Final Thoughts: The true Alexander Isak has arrived as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Liverpool 3 – 1 Crystal Palace – Premier League Postmortem

After a hard-fought derby win over Everton, Liverpool returned to Anfield looking to build momentum against a well-drilled Crystal Palace side. What followed was a result that flatters the hosts, in a game where the underlying performance told a very different story.

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The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Freddie Woodman

• RB – Curtis Jones

• CB – Ibrahima Konaté

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Milos Kerkez

• CM – Alexis Mac Allister

• CM – Ryan Gravenberch

• CF – Alexander Isak

• RF – Cody Gakpo

• AM – Florian Wirtz

• LF – Mohamed Salah

Substitutes Used

Jeremie Frimpong → Mohamed Salah (59’)

Ryan Gravenberch → Alexander Isak (78’)

Joe Gomez → Jeremie Frimpong (87’)

Milos Kerkez → Joe Gomez (87’)

Goals

Liverpool 1–0 Crystal Palace – Alexander Isak (Alexis Mac Allister) – 35’

Liverpool 2–0 Crystal Palace – Andy Robertson (Curtis Jones) – 40’

Liverpool 2–1 Crystal Palace – Daniel Munoz – 71’

Liverpool 3–1 Crystal Palace – Florian Wirtz (Alexis Mac Allister) – 90+6’

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Match Statistics

• Possession – Liverpool 53% | Palace 47%

• xG – Liverpool 0.91 | Palace 2.32

• Total Shots – Liverpool 9 | Palace 14

• Shots on Target – Liverpool 3 | Palace 7

• Fouls – Liverpool 10 | Palace 10

• Corners – Liverpool 5 | Palace 8

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First Half

The opening half was efficient rather than convincing.

Liverpool took their chances with a level of clinical precision that has too often been absent this season. Alexander Isak opened the scoring with a composed finish after good work from Alexis Mac Allister, before Andy Robertson doubled the lead just five minutes later with a well-timed run and finish.

At 2–0, the scoreline suggested control.

The performance did not.

Crystal Palace were the more cohesive side, moving the ball with clarity and purpose, and repeatedly finding spaces that Liverpool struggled to close. The midfield battle was far from dominant, and defensively, there were warning signs that went largely unpunished.

Freddie Woodman was the key figure.

The Liverpool goalkeeper produced several important saves to keep the visitors at bay, ensuring that despite being second-best in many areas, the hosts went into the break with a two-goal advantage.

It was a scoreline built on efficiency, not authority.

Second Half

The second half brought a shift in momentum that felt inevitable.

Palace continued to press, continued to create, and eventually found their reward through Daniel Munoz. The goal was deserved and reflective of a side that had consistently outperformed Liverpool in terms of chance creation and attacking cohesion.

At that point, the game felt alive.

Liverpool retreated, their structure loosening further as the visitors pushed for an equaliser. Once again, Woodman was called upon, producing key saves to preserve the lead in a period where Palace looked far more likely to score again.

Amid that pressure came a significant moment.

Mohamed Salah was forced off with a hamstring injury, a sight that brought concern far beyond the immediate match. If this proves to be his final contribution in a Liverpool shirt, it would be a painful and emotional note on which to potentially close a legendary chapter.

As Palace pushed, spaces opened.

And in the final moments, Florian Wirtz capitalised, finishing late on to seal a result that, while comfortable on paper, was anything but in reality.

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Final Thoughts

This was a performance of clinical finishing masking deeper issues.

Liverpool took their chances. Palace did not.

The expected goals tell the real story—Palace far outperformed Liverpool and were arguably the better side across the ninety minutes. That disparity cannot be ignored, nor can the tactical edge that Oliver Glasner appeared to hold throughout.

For all the positives of securing three points, the structural concerns remain. The midfield was overrun at times, the defensive organisation wavered, and the overall cohesion continues to look fragile.

Freddie Woodman was the difference.

Without his interventions, this result could have been very different.

And while the scoreline offers relief, it does little to quiet the broader questions surrounding Arne Slot and the direction of this team.

Steven Smith’s Pre-Match Prediction:

Liverpool 2 – 2 Crystal Palace