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Long before the referee put an end to this carnage, rain had started to fall on Selhurst Park. An hour before the final whistle, the skies had opened and the streets surrounding this old terrain were facing a deluge.
Inside, Liverpool had broken down the floodgates. Now the question heading towards Christmas: was this the week the tide turned in your favor?
In what already feels like seven crucial days in the title race, Liverpool edged Crystal Palace past seven with seven different players creating a goal. It was a day of milestones.
Never before have Liverpool won a Premier League game by seven, never before have they won an away game in the top flight by that margin.
And perhaps never before in this crazy season has the new normal felt so much like the old. Liverpool is on the beat and on top of the tree at Christmas.
Jordan Henderson believed an exhibition like this was coming and there have been flashes of normalcy in the recent beatings of Wolves and Leicester.
But for so long the mood around Anfield has been characterized by turmoil and conflict.
The Liverpool team has been badly affected by injuries and results have suffered. It was no coincidence that Klopp referenced the 7-2 loss to Aston Villa after they repaired the damage here.
The German has at times been distracted by substitution and scheduling frustrations. Fortunately, this open race meant that, even as treatment table space dwindled and props piled up, Liverpool were never more than three points off the pace.
But still, this week feels fundamental. After Tottenham was defeated by Liverpool’s unshakable spirit, Crystal Palace fell victim to its ruthless brilliance. Eight shots on goal produced seven goals, two each for Mohamed Salah, who started on the bench, and Roberto Firmino. Henderson, Sadio Mane and Takumi Minamino also scored.
After five away games without a win, what a marker to place. What a time to do it. In the end, the gulf between the teams was huge.
And yet the margins held up very well. How different things could have been if the Spurs had taken one of their chances in the second half at Anfield midweek. Or did Palace, when it was trailing 1-0, show its pressure in the first half?
Instead, Liverpool finished with six points and a good lead at the top. Despite all the focus on his incomparable three forwards and the absence of Virgil van Dijk, this has been the true domain of Klopp’s tenure; the forceful and consistent ability to isolate each 90 minute challenge.
As the coach said on Saturday: “We have to be prepared every day to find a way to win this specific match.”
It was fitting, then, that after this week’s contrasting examples he moved to 127 Premier League wins, more than any other Liverpool manager.
There was also a startling picture that this dazzling reminder of Liverpool’s might came against poor Roy Hodgson. His doomed Anfield reign symbolized the miserable end of a decade in which the club was on the brink.
Now Liverpool are heading into the 2020s with new enthusiasm in defending the Premier League title. Not that Klopp is indulging in a lot of holiday cheer.
“I don’t feel satisfaction or whatever,” he said. ‘I’m happy at the moment, because it was just a top game, but it doesn’t make sense to be over the moon for something. The challenges don’t get any smaller. ‘
You are right, of course. Their players can now look forward to an eight day break before West Bromwich’s visit, but this must have been especially enjoyable.
Particularly after his calls from five submarines went unanswered again. Particularly given another brief change, Wednesday night, Saturday lunchtime, he finished with six vital points. The concern of his rivals is how many more levels they have to go through. “Most of the season is yet to come,” Klopp said. “We will try everything we have, but we’ll see.”
Whatever you say, Klopp will know that the signs are ominous to everyone else. His three forwards found the net, their full backs in their destructive prime. Minamino scored a first league goal, Curtis Jones enjoyed another cameo.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back to bolster his options, and Thiago Alcantara will take them to another level when he’s fit too.
The only crumb of consolation for José Mourinho and company? Liverpool’s four backs will remain patched for some time. Even the questions about Salah and his pre-match comments, which suggested he might be willing to go to Spain, drew a chuckle from Klopp.
“All good,” he said. And after a week like this? It is not surprising.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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