Sadio Mane poked home the only goal of the game as Liverpool banked a first win of the Premier League season against a spirited Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Palace threatened to follow in Watford’s lead by keeping Jurgen Klopp’s side to a point but Mane showed a predator’s instinct to pick up on an error from Luka Milivojevic and grab the winner after 73 minutes.
His second of the season made it two defeats in a row for new Palace boss Frank de Boer and managed to lessen some of the focus on the absent Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho.
5 – Sadio Mane has had a hand in five goals in six Premier League games vs Crystal Palace (four goals, one assist). Thorn.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 19, 2017
Ruben Loftus-Cheek. While Liverpool’s players were burnished by the glow of victory many were short of their best and even match-winner Mane struggled at times. Loftus-Cheek ended up on the losing side but can be proud of his own efforts in a tough away day.
He tackled well, covered plenty of ground and one fleet-footed run and cutback would have handed his side the lead had Christian Benteke kept his shot down. Chelsea may not have found room for him but the watching England manager Gareth Southgate may have other ideas.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (L)
The away contingent wasted little time dealing with the elephant in the room, roaring “where’s your Coutinho?” early and often and suggesting in slightly coarser language that Liverpool could not match his ambition.
There was also a credibility-stretching “he’s one of our own” chant aimed at the Reds’ out-of-favour defender Mamadou Sakho, a Parisian with eight loan appearances for the Eagles to his name.
707: Days since defender Joe Gomez last appeared in Liverpool’s Premier League starting XI, a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United. His last start in any competition was on January 28, when the Reds were beaten in the FA Cup fourth round by Wolves.
Simon Mignolet : 6 (out of 10)
Joe Gomez : 7
Joel Matip: 6
Ragnar Klavan : 7
Andy Robertson : 7
James Milner : 7
Jordan Henderson : 6
Georginio Wijnaldum: 6
Sadio Mane : 7
Roberto Firmino : 6
Daniel Sturridge : 5
Substitutes
Mo Salah (for Sturridge): 7
Dominic Solanke (for Wijnaldum): 7
Dejan Lovren (for Firmino): 5
Sadio Mane (L)
Wayne Hennessey : 7
Timothy Fosu-Mensah : 6
Scott Dann : 7
James Tomkins : 6
Joel Ward : 6
Patrick van Aanholt: 6
Luka Milivojevic : 6
Jason Puncheon: 6
Ruben Loftus-Cheek : 7
Andros Townsend : 7
Christian Benteke: 5
Substitutes
James McArthur (for Puncheon): 6
Sullay Kaikai (for Milivojevic): 5
Jeffrey Schlupp (for Van Aanholt): 5
Wayne Hennessey
Liverpool v Hoffenheim (Champions League play-off, Aug 23 )
Crystal Palace v Ipswich (EFL Cup, Aug 22 )
