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Where to start?
Liverpool’s resounding 7-0 victory over Crystal Palace following the midweek win over Tottenham confirmed the team’s place as the title favorite. At the time of writing, they are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table. They have the best goal difference in the league, a remarkable stat given the 7-2 beating at the hands of Aston Villa earlier this season. And there are still Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara to return to the fold.
But what a team.
Liverpool’s performance was not complete on Saturday afternoon. They fought from the beginning. His death was methodical, the move predictable. Despite the initial one-to-zero lead, Crystal Palace was on the rising side for a good half hour – their plan was clearly defined and effective.
And then Liverpool’s three forwards, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Takumi Minamino, turned it on. From one to three to zero in the blink of an eye. And then four. And then Salah. And then, before Palace could breathe, it was seven.
Here’s the podium for a remarkable performance at Selhurst Park.
Gold – BobbyBall
Choosing a gold from that screen is difficult, but we look for impact and aesthetic here, which means giving the first prize to Roberto Firmino’s first goal.
Since there to there. And then: THAT. It was the definitive definition of BobbyBall. Everything Liverpool does in an offensive sense, particularly in the transition, flows through Roberto Firmino. His first goal was a classic Liverpool play: Firmino fell into his own half to cut the ball and start the play; Robertson sweeping the left side; I drift into space, timing his run alone right so that he does not arrive too early and is picked up by the defender, but not so late that he gets out of the action; the cross; the touch; the slip ended. Everything exuded a class of Champions, we are better than you.
There is no prettier sight in soccer than a fit Firmino feeding his free-flowing teammates.
SECOND GOLD – Mohamed Salah
So is. What else are we supposed to do? Stop at three claps? New rule: if Liverpool win by seven or more, we can add a second gold medal to the podium.
Salah came off the bench to deliver one of the best cameos imaginable. With two goals and one assist, Salah became the first substitute to directly participate in three goals in a Premier League match for Liverpool, according to Opta.
Silver – Sadio Mané
This is what Sadio Mané is: a match winner to the bone. It has been a tough period for Mané, scoreless in nine games before today, his longest streak as a Liverpool player, but it was clear that Liverpool needed him to provide. something today.
As noted in our pre-match Facebook Live broadcast, an early, complicated, and tedious start, Crystal Palace is the kind of game where you need one of your innate match winners to produce a moment of brilliance. With Mohamed Salah on the bench and Roy Hodgson’s stifling, condensed defensive block, there was even more emphasis on Mané crafting something himself.
After Liverpool’s first goal, the team sank. The cheerful start to the afternoon gave way to laborious patterns of play, with Palace creating plenty of opportunities at the break as Liverpool struggled to retain and recycle the ball.
And then: Mané. After a half-hour onslaught, in which Palace could have tied Liverpool for a couple of goals, a flash of excellence from Mané (touch, turn, hit) extended the lead to 2-0, completely altering the pattern of locals game. . From then on, it became a passing and moving exercise for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Mané’s displeasure at being substituted at the time stamp was palpable and understandable. He had finally broken his scoring duck. I was flying. There were goals to score, and he, always addicted to competition, wanted to be the one to score them. That is what distinguishes the best from the rest.
Bronze – Takumi Minamino ending
On any other day, this would top the charts.
The Minamino opener gets better with every viewing. It’s about the hesitation – he doesn’t blink in the first start, something he’s been very happy to do throughout his Liverpool career and something you wouldn’t envy a player who is struggling to stay in shape.
But no. Minamino waited. He took a bunt, took the ball under control and pushed it out of the way of the defender flying into the block. Time to get it right? No. Minamino hesitates. But this is not hesitation or indecision, it is deliberate.
Minamino took an extra beat, giving him just enough time to move the ball to his right, and then, bang: the ball hit at halftime, a beat earlier than expected by the goalkeeper and a couple of beats after the initial opening. .
It was a delicious ending from a player who has had a difficult start to life in the club.
Must do better: Liverpool defensive conscience
What can you say after a 7-0 win?
Crystal Palace’s game plan was clear: split the two forwards, flood one of the wide areas and keep a floating attacker in the middle to occupy the two centrals. And it worked. Liverpool’s defenders were overwhelmed in the first half as Palace was able to turn runners behind again and again. Even in the silent transmission of the crowd, Palace assistant Ray Lewington could be heard yelling at his players to carry the ball down the line, behind the defenders, ASA and P.
Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, always eager to get involved in the setup play, were stranded for the first half hour, with too wide a gulf between them and the two center-backs. and the two attacking the open men. Had Palace seized those early chances, Liverpool could have found themselves in a hole. Instead, they found themselves 2-0 up, then quickly 3-0 up, before putting the game to bed in the second half.
Still: the couple more than made up for it in the future. They both received assists, with Alexander-Arnold adding a couple of hockey assists for good measure. Once the early storm weathered, defenders returned to what they do best: moving forward and creating opportunities.
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