Liverpool could not find the target despite hitting the crossbar twice as they produced one of the goalless football results of the weekend in the Premier League. They squandered several chances, with Diogo Jota heading onto the crossbar from close range in the first half and Mohamed Salah hitting the crossbar just after the break. Nonetheless, Crystal Palace did not sit back and excelled for long periods, despite failing to register a shot on target despite some shaky moments from Liverpool’s defense. They also hit the crossbar when Jean-Philippe Mateta rifled an effort off the post after being offered the chance to put his team ahead thanks to a clumsy Trent Alexander-Arnold pass. Marc Guehi and Michael Olise also came close.
The game turned out to be a sequence of almosts and maybes from the start. Crystal Palace had a chance after Alexander-bad Arnold’s ball to Jordan Henderson was intercepted by Mateta, but Alisson palmed his chipped effort over. Jota then went close for Liverpool twice, first with a volley straight at Vicente Guaita, then with a header from a tight angle that ricocheted against the crossbar from close range. Crystal Palace took advantage of some shaky Liverpool defense again before the half-hour mark, when Olise delivered a fantastic corner, but Guehi blasted a free header inches wide of the target.
That seemed to boost the hosts’ confidence, and they proceeded to create a slew of chances. Olise’s right-wing cross just missed the runs of Jeffrey Schlupp and Mateta, who then smacked an effort off the top of the crossbar. While Liverpool didn’t exactly burst out of the blocks in the second half, they did create some nice early chances. Guaita pushed over Alexander-deflected Arnold’s cross after Mohamed Salah curled a brilliant shot against the crossbar. As the game progressed, both teams had periods of pressure.
Palace’s spark came from Olise, but the game lacked a finishing result. Cody Gakpo had a late chance to win it for Liverpool, but he shot wide. The hosts applied late pressure and were enraged when referee Darren England blew the final whistle, awarding Crystal Palace another corner. As the game ended in a draw, the players mobbed the official in protest, with Joachim Andersen earning a booking.
“I know no one wants to hear it, but this is a typical Crystal Palace game. The key difference for us is that we usually only get one or two chances. That is something we did not do tonight. In the end, it’s just an away point, and that’s fine. It’s not perfect, but it’s adequate,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “You must take care not to capitulate. That is exactly what we did. Real Madrid’s [third goal] was obviously pointless, but at least we could prepare for tonight because we had two free kicks in similar situations and defended much better. Except for when they hit the crossbar, they had no shots on goal, which is also a good indicator. It was a difficult game.”
“Our team performed admirably. We played with a lot of effort and discipline, and we got off to a good start,” Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira said. “We had chances in the first half that we didn’t take, and they had a terrific stretch in the opening 20 minutes of the second half that made it difficult for us. But, we did not concede a goal, which was critical for us to deal with difficult situations. After that, we finished the game more successfully.”
“One of our team’s disappointments is that we create opportunities but do not take them. We knew it would be difficult to create chances, especially against opponents like Liverpool. We succeeded but did not take them. That is something we need to work on and improve,” he added. “I work with them every day and see the level of quality they possess. All of them can finish and score goals; it’s just a matter of me putting the necessary training in place to restore their confidence. You need 11 players to perform vs Liverpool. The plan was perfectly performed by the players; the only thing missing was a goal.”
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