Sunday 23 April 2017 21:32, UK
Sam Allardyce says Crystal Palace exposed Liverpool's tactical weaknesses to secure a vital 2-1 win at Anfield in their battle against relegation.
Christian Benteke returned to haunt his former club, equalising for Crystal Palace from a swift counter-attack after Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring, before heading in a second-half winner from a corner.
Palace's second goal was the seventh Liverpool haveconceded from a corner in the Premier League this season and the ninth to come from a header, and Allardyce admits his side had looked to expose what he saw as a vulnerable part of Jurgen Klopp's system.
Allardyce told Sky Sports: "The key was tactically, the lads were aware of where Liverpool can be [beaten], one, counter-attacking which was the first goal, the way we broke down the right-hand side, and then on corners, the first, maybe the second phase.
"Good balls in, because they use a zonal system they don't really mark their men so if you get on the move between their zonal men you may get the chance. Of course I'm so pleased that the man who scored is the man in goalscoring form."
Dejan Lovren was caught out for pace high in his own half as Yohan Cabaye broke down the right-hand side to cross for Benteke's first goal, while the striker drifted between Liverpool's defenders to head in his second.
Allardyce believes the Reds' lack of man-marking is costing them.
"Yes because they leave those two defenders isolated," Allardyce continued. "The two defenders want to keep a high line, they don't want to drop back and fill those spaces, so if we get runners in those spaces and feed the ball in those spaces you'll get in.
"When we talk about possession, Liverpool will have had a huge amount of that. But when you're talking about chances at goal we'll be right up there with Liverpool. In the end we were more clinical."
Palace's win saw them climb to 12th in the Premier League table and they are now seven points clear of the relegation zone with five games remaining.
Benteke's double means he has now scored more goals (five) as an opposition player at Anfield than he did as a Liverpool player (four).
Liverpool sold Benteke to Palace last summer after just one season on Merseyside, and Allardyce believes the Belgium international was out to prove a point to his former employers.
"Maybe there was a little bit more motivation for him today, because he only left last summer and for us it's more important than anything that your big man, or your front man, scores," said Allardyce.
"We've been struggling at the bottom so he's been a massive, massive help to Crystal Palace moving out the danger zone."
