Liverpool beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace at Anfield

Match reportLiverpool beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace at Anfield

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By Glenn Price at Anfield

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Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Eberechi Eze's 14th-minute goal was enough to give Oliver Glasner's visitors the victory – the Reds' first home defeat of the league season and since October 2022.

Team news

Alisson Becker returned from injury to make his first appearance since early February and was one of five changes Jürgen Klopp opted to make.

Conor Bradley, Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah also came back into the starting line-up.

Alisson, Endo (Szoboszlai, 46), Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz (Gakpo, 66), Nunez (Jota, 66), Mac Allister, Salah, Jones (Elliott, 82), Robertson, Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, 48).

Unused substitutes: Kelleher, Gomez, Gravenberch, Quansah.

  • Download the official teamsheet here

First half

The game got under way after an impeccably observed period of silence on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.

In front of 60,090 spectators, Anfield's biggest ever crowd for a league fixture, Alisson was involved within the first 60 seconds, punching out a dangerous Tyrick Mitchell cross and then falling on a tame Eze effort.

Liverpool's first attack came when Robertson released Darwin Nunez on the left, but the striker's shot from inside the box was straight at Dean Henderson.

Palace made the most of their next foray forward to take the lead, with Mitchell again finding space on the left. He ended up cutting back from the touchline and found the unmarked Eze, who made no mistake from close range.

Robertson stopped the visitors adding another four minutes later when he slid to reach and clear Jean-Philippe Mateta's lift over Alisson before it fully crossed the goalline.

The response from the Reds was an encouraging one. Wataru Endo struck the crossbar, Diaz forced a brilliant save from Henderson and Ibrahima Konate went close with a header all within a three-minute spell.

Salah had a curler pushed away by Henderson and Mateta headed over as the half ended just as open as it started.

Second half

After Dominik Szoboszlai came on for Endo at half-time, Liverpool were forced into another change moments following the restart when Bradley went down injured. Trent Alexander-Arnold was his replacement.

Nunez thought he had drawn the Reds level but watched Henderson keep out his fierce strike from six yards out as he reacted quickest to a Virgil van Dijk knockdown off a corner.

Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo were introduced to aid the hosts' pursuit of an equaliser, with the pair soon involved in chances.

Gakpo drilled a cross that was just out of the reach of Curtis Jones in front of goal, and then Jota's side-foot finish, destined for the back of the net, was kept out by a last-ditch block from Nathaniel Clyne.

Golden opportunities fell for either side in the space of a minute but neither were taken.

Mateta was left astonished after he had been thwarted by Alisson a couple of yards in front of goal. At the other end, Jones could not hit the target when sent through by Gakpo's outside-of-the-boot pass.

A desperate intervention from Mitchell stopped Salah as Palace then dug in even more to preserve the points.

Attendance: 60,090

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