- Sadio Mané’s winner powers Liverpool to first league win of season
- Match report: Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace
Updated
Sat 19 Aug 2017 12.02 EDT
First published on Sat 19 Aug 2017 09.00 EDT
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Key events
That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to check back later for a full match report.
Liverpool outshot Palace by a margin of 18 to four. They were more accurate in their passing, created more chances and had a two-to-one advantage in possession. But they were still made to sweat before Mané’s late winner, which prompted a collective sigh of relief on Merseyside.
Full time: Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace
There’s the final whistle and Liverpool have their first win of the season, snapping Crystal Palace’s improbable streak of three straight victories at Anfield.
90 min+1: Liverpool continue to probe for the all-important insurance goal. And Saleh is denied a golazo toward the far post by a fully extended Hennessey!
90 min: There will be four minutes of stoppage time. Get ready for a nervy finish after last week’s final-reel flop.
89 min: Back-to-back chances for Liverpool through Solanke and Robertson but it’s still 1-0. Now the hosts make their final switch as Lovren comes on for Firmino.
84 min: Palace making their final switch with Jeffrey Schlupp coming on for Patrick van Aanholt.
81 min: Mo Salah heads on target from a cross but it’s a bit too on target, hit directly at the keeper who easily makes the save.
79 min: Two straight corners for Palace, their first and second of the day, and both of them are played short. Mystifying, really, given Liverpool’s seemingly institutional struggles on set pieces.
76 min: An attack-minded substitution for Palace as Sullay Kaikai replaces Luka Milivojevic.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace (Mane, 73 min)
And finally the breakthrough for Liverpool as Mane pokes home the opener when the ball deflects off a Palace defender to his foot. Persistence pays off!
71 min: Dominic Solanke replaces Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool’s second sub.
70 min: Liverpool’s best chance of the second half. Chaos in front of the goal with Wijnaldum and Mane both missing chances.
69 min: Henderson showed yellow for a foul on Cheek.
67 min: Liverpool continue to struggle to break Palace down. A nervous energy grows in the crowd. Could Solanke, who looks as if he’s about to come on, offer a spark?
63 min: Palace’s Patrick van Aanholt is shown a yellow card for time wasting.
61 min: An hour gone and Jordan Henderson has just seen his low show handled by Hennessey. A first substitution now as Mo Saleh is coming on for his Anfield debut, replacing Daniel Sturridge.
57 min: Firmino works himself into a tight angle but still manages to put a shot on goal. Alas, it sails over Hennessey’s crossbar. The pace has picked up over the past few minutes.
55 min: Van Aanholt cuts back and Benteke has a sitter but he’s missed it! Oh dear! A golden opportunity there.
52 min: Milner’s free kick sails over the wall and over the goal entirely. Goal kick to Palace.
50 min: An incisive run by Joek Matip and he’s hacked down on the edge of the box. A free kick for Liverpool from a highly promising position forthcoming.
47 min: And they’re off in the second half ... and it doesn’t take long for Liverpool to press the issue. Firmino surges into the area and see his shot turned away for a Liverpool corner, the first for either side on the day. Nothing comes of it, but a promising start for the hosts.
The teams have emerged from the tunnel and we should be under way for the second half momentarily.
Half-time: Liverpool 0-0 Crystal Palace
We’re goalless through 45 minutes in the first match of the season at Anfield. Not much to speak of, save for the inspired debut of the young left back Robertson.
45 min: The fourth official signals for one minute of stoppage time.
40 min: Firmino with an excellent chance for Liverpool, but it’s stopped by the keeper. Then a quick counter by Palace and less than a half-minute later Puncheon puts a shot on goal that Mignolet parries away.
38 min: Another set piece for Liverpool right on the edge of the box, this one from an even more direct angle. Sturridge takes it but cracks it directly into the wall.
35 min: Another set piece for Liverpool, this one from a dangerous spot right on the edge of the area. Robertson takes it and swings it onto the onrushing Sadio Mane, who can’t quite take advantage. That’s Liverpool’s third solid chance today and Roberton has been involved in all three. Otherwise, it’s been a bit dire for the Reds.
33 min: Ward wins a free kick for Palace, but moments later he tries to put Dann through but it’s mistimed and he’s caught offside.
28 min: A chance for Liverpool as Firmino finds Sturridge, whose left-footed shot from outside the area is wide and high of the target.
22 min: Dann tries to put Benteke through but the offside flag goes up. An observation from HP Tinker, via email:
I think the entire Liverpool back four may have cost less than a Jonny Evans.
20 min: Twenty minutes down and the standout on the Liverpool side has been Andy Robertson, who shown promise and industry in his competitive debut for the club.
17 min: Christian Benteke wins a foul in the attacking half, but the ensuing free kick smashes into the Liverpool wall and back toward the halfway line.
14 min: An even start for both sides. Robertson surges down the left flank for Liverpool and swings it in to Matip, who can’t connect with it. And too bad. A gorgeous cross and he really should have done better with it.
10 min: Liverpool attacking up the left side. Milner makes an overlapping run on to a through ball and breaks free through the Crystal Palace defense before uncorking a low shot at Hennessey, who falls on to it for an easy save.
8 min: Milner commits a foul on Andros Townsend as he attacks down the right flank and now Crystal Palace will have their first good opportunity of the game. The free kick is swung into James Tomkins, whose header is close but off the mark.
4 min: Georginio Wijnaldum is fouled by Luka Milivojevic and wins a free kick in the defensive half. Liverpool move into attack down the left side and the ball is crossed into Sturridge, but he can’t quite reach it and now Crystal Palace are on the counter.
2 min: A speculative shot from Jordan Henderson from about 25 yards, but it’s easily corralled by the keeper.
1 min: And they’re off! Crystal Palace attacking from left to right in black away kits, Liverpool from right to left in all-red strips.
The teams!
Here’s a look at today’s teams. Klopp has made five changes from the side who beat Hoffenheim on Tuesday. Daniel Sturridge, Ragnar Klavan, Joe Gomez, James Milner and debutant Andrew Robertson come into the team, replacing Mohamed Salah, Alberto Moreno, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Emre Can.
Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer makes two changes: James Tomkins and Andros Townsend, replacing Jairo Riedewald and Wilfried Zaha.
Liverpool
XI: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Robertson, Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum, Mane, Firmino, Sturridge
Subs: Karius, Lovren, Flanagan, Can, Solanke, Salah, Origi
Crystal Palace
XI: Hennessey, Fosu-Mensah, Tomkins, Dann, Ward, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Puncheon, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Benteke
Subs: Speroni, Schlupp, Kelly, Cabaye, McArthur, Kaikai, Lokilo
Hello and welcome to Anfield for today’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace. Jürgen Klopp’s men are out to rebound from last week’s season-opening draw at Watford, where a moment of defensive negligence in injury time cost them points. A mid-week win over Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Champions League play-off lifted the move somewhat and now they’ll look to notch their first league win against a side who’s had their number in recent years. Indeed, Crystal Palace have taken three straight at Anfield including a 2-1 scalp in April, but they enter on a down note after dropping their league opener 3-0 to newly promoted Huddersfield Town last week.
Plenty more to come with kick-off just over a half hour away. We’ll be back with the teams in short order.
Bryan will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s the team news:
Liverpool: Mignolet, Gomez, Klavan, Matip, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Milner, Firmino, Sturridge, Mane. Subs: Karius, Lovren, Salah, Can, Origi, Solanke, Flanagan.
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Fosu-Mensah, Dann, Tomkins, Ward, Milivojevic, Puncheon, Van Aanholt, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Benteke. Subs: Speroni, Cabaye, Schlupp, McArthur, KaiKai, Lokilo, Kelly.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)