SAS strike again to punish Palace

It feels good to be top of the table, however briefly.

Liverpool’s super SAS strike-force fired them to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Crystal Palace at Anfield yesterday, propelling them to the top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of second placed Arsenal, who play West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

A frenetic and fruitful first half saw Suarez and Sturridge score in quick succession, before Steven Gerrard netted his 99th League goal from the penalty spot to put the outcome of the contest beyond doubt. A far less eventful second half was notable only for Liverpool’s lull and Palace’s consolation goal, bagged by 22-year forward Dwight Gayle in front of a boisterous away support with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Liverpool’s first half supremacy wasn’t absolute, however, as the visitors began promisingly, Jerome glancing Puncheon’s cross wide with his head when he should have tested Mignolet on eight minutes. After a difficult start to the season consisting of five defeats from six, Ian Holloway set his side up to have a go in the knowledge that they were expected to take nothing from the contest. With Raheem Sterling clearly out of place at right wing back, the Eagles looked capable of troubling the Reds’ back line.

"I can't wait to hear that song; I'll have a tear in my eye. That song is worth just standing there, it's worth a 10-0 hammering.” Never mind the points; Ian Holloway was happy enough just to hear the Kop sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’

Thankfully, at the other end Palace’s defenders faced an impossible job trying to contain the dynamic Suarez and Sturridge, who came to life to terrorise the visitors’ defence and calm Kopites’ nerves with a couple of early goals. First, Suarez swapped passes with his best mate Jose Enrique, who deserves to keep his place in the team purely on the basis of his understanding with the Uruguayan, before sweeping the ball into the back of the net despite losing his footing in the penalty area.

Slipping couldn't stop Suarez scoring

Then, after Sturridge’s shot had been saved, the England international twisted and turned his way beyond Ward and fired across goal into the bottom corner. With their front two in this kind of form, Liverpool can expect to get results and pick up points even if the rest of the side fail to reach top gear.

Palace responded positively, Toure clearing off the line and Mignolet making a fine save to deny Puncheon, but a soft penalty ten minutes before the break put to bed any hopes the Londoners may have had of finding a route back into the match.

On one of his many promising runs forward, Sterling cut into the box and was pulled back by Moxey as he tried to reach Suarez’s pass. It would be fair to say Sterling ‘won’ the penalty, as the exceedingly generous Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot. Gerrard stood up to confidently convert past Speroni, claiming another club record as he scored in his 15th consecutive season.

Nobody doubted Gerrard would find the net from the penalty spot

Ending the half with a bang, Liverpool peppered Palace’s goal with efforts on target. Victor Moses squandered the chance to get in on the goalscoring fun by somehow hitting the bar from close range when it seemed easier to score, before Speroni thwarted Sturridge twice and Suarez once as the Reds’ attack delighted Anfield.

Unfortunately, the same kind of intensity couldn't be maintained into the second period, as Liverpool took their foot off the accelerator and seemed to prefer a pleasant Saturday afternoon stroll to battering their opponents and boosting their goal difference. In fact, it appeared more likely that Palace would score a consolation than that the home side would extend their lead, Gayle shooting high and wide on 67 minutes. He eventually got the goal Palace’s performance deserved with a quarter of an hour remaining, glancing a header into the far corner from a corner kick before celebrating in front of the travelling fans.

Five minutes from time Sturridge hit the woodwork, but the Merseysiders failed to net the fourth goal that would have added a respectable gloss to what was a fairly average second half performance.

It’s hard to criticise Liverpool when they sit top of the table after one of the best starts to a season in the Premier League era, but they must start extending their good performances into the second 45 minutes of matches if they are to continue to claim residence in the highest echelons of the League.

"It's not enough to just win games, for me, I'm very much someone who worries about playing well. We'll take the three points but we need to improve our level with the football.” Brendan Rodgers’ evaluation is spot on

In terms of positives, ignoring the obvious sensational form of the SAS, Henderson played particularly well in place of the suspended Lucas, who looks to have a job on his hands to reclaim his place in the team based on the former Sunderland player’s performance yesterday and recent form. The back three of Sakho, Skrtel and Toure also put in decent displays, finally giving vice-captain Daniel Agger some competition for a starting berth.

Ultimately, it’s good to be back to winning ways and hopefully the momentum gained from wins over the two worst teams in the League will be carried over into fixtures against Newcastle and West Brom after the international break.

YNWA