Crystal Palace vs Liverpool a few quick thoughts
Dan Tracey
March 7, 2016
1,480 Views
- Despair for Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew as they somehow lose a game where they had not only a goal but a man advantage
- It looked like the tide had finally been turned and the barren run without a win was going to come to and end when Joe Ledley put them in front in the second half
- The situation looked even better once James Milner had been sent off for a second bookable offence with just under half an hour of the game to go
- But credit has to go to Jurgen Klopp, with nothing to lose his substitution of Philippe Coutinho on for John Flanagan still gave them an attacking presence in the game and 10 minutes later they would get their just rewards
- Alex McCarthy’s hilarious howler allowed Roberto Firmino to get an equaliser and you would probably have thought that Liverpool would have settled for a point
- But if the Champions League is going to be a possibility next season then they have to be picking up wins on the road and in the 96th Minute they were given a massive opportunity in which to do so
- Damien Delaney bought down Christian Benteke in the area and Andre Marriner with the assistance of the Assistant Referee awarded a spot kicK
- It was Benteke who would step up and coolly slot the ball home for a dramatic win at Selhurst Park
- You could visibly see the anger and frustration on Alan Pardew’s face as he threw his coat to the touchline after Liverpool had gone ahead
- Pardew would later go on to accuse Benteke of diving but in my opinion the decision to award a Penalty was the correct one
- For Liverpool they are now 6 points off a Champions League place in 7th and that’s 4 league games unbeaten with the last 3 being consecutive wins
- As for Palace it’s now 12 games without a win and 2016 is already turning into a year forget for them
- What a difference this run has made, they were Top 6 club before Christmas with European aspirations of their own. Now they have to make sure they get enough points to secure safety
- They will be thankful they had such a good start to the season in comparison as if it wasn’t for that then this the kind of form that would see you relegated in May
- They are 9 points clear of the drop zone so there’s no crisis just yet but this near terminal nosedive down the table must be a concern for Manager, Fans and Chairman alike
- Palace now have the brief respite of the F.A. Cup this Weekend where there only three wins this year have come from
- As for Liverpool they now prepare for the Europa League clash against their most hated rivals Manchester United, with their win coupled with United’s defeat maybe you would make them slight favourites going into the tie but there’s not a lot between the two sides at the moment
- Liverpool will be delighted with their never say die attitude and the reward of 3 points
- Palace will be asking themselves how they let defeat slip through their hands
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