Mohamed Salah scored his 37th goal of the season as Liverpool recovered from falling behind to secure a vital 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
Sadio Mane had scored their equalising goal before being fortunate to avoid a red card, and the visitors capitalised by securing all three points with Salah’s 84th-minute finish to maintain their pursuit of a second place.
Palace led at half-time following Luka Milivojevic’s penalty, but after conceding another late goal at Selhurst Park they remain at risk of relegation from the Premier League.
Tweet of the match
Talk me through how that is not a second yellow card?
— Steve Parish (@CEO4TAG) March 31, 2018
Palace chairman Steve Parish makes his feelings clear on Liverpool forward Sadio Mane avoiding a red card despite conceding a free-kick for handball having already been booked for diving.
Player of the match – Mohamed Salah
Free-scoring Mohamed Salah’s 29th goal of a stunning Premier League season proved enough to pinch the points for Liverpool. Once again the Egypt hitman’s clinical finishing guided the Reds to victory.
Moment of the match
Just when Palace started to think about hanging on for a vital point, up popped Salah with the late winner, killing Andrew Robertson’s driven shot, stepping round Mamadou Sakho and slotting past Wayne Hennessey with his now-regulation assurance.
Stat attack
5 – Adam Lallana's spell of five minutes is the shortest amount of time a substitute has played before being subbed off in the Premier League this season. Cameo.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 31, 2018
England star Adam Lallana’s rotten injury luck strikes again, the midfielder carried off on a stretcher just five minutes into a second-half cameo – to raise fresh doubts about his ability to be fit for the summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Player ratings
Palace: Wayne Hennessey 6 (out of 10), Aaron Wan-Bissaka 5, Martin Kelly 6, Mamadou Sakho 6, Patrick Van Aanholt 6, James McArthur 7, Luka Milivojevic (capt) 8, Yohan Cabaye 6, Andros Townsend 7, Wilfried Zaha 6, Christian Benteke 4. Substitutes: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Cabaye, 72) 6, Timothy Fosu-Mensah (for Wan-Bissaka, 88), 6.
Liverpool: Loris Karius 5, Trent Alexander-Armstrong 6, Joel Matip 6, Virgil Van Dijk 7, Andrew Robertson 6, Georginio Wijnaldum 7, Jordan Henderson (capt) 7, James Milner 7, Mohamed Salah 8, Roberto Firmino 7, Sadio Mane 8. Substitutes: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (for Mane, 64) 6, Adam Lallana (for Wijnaldum, 65) 5, Dejan Lovren (for Lallana, 70) 6.
Who’s up next?
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace, Premier League, Saturday, April 7
Liverpool v Manchester City, Champions League, Tuesday, April 3
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