Florian Wirtz scored his first Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool beat struggling Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
Under-pressure Eagles boss Pierre Sage’s side showed promise in the first half, when they had a goal chalked off for offside, hit the crossbar, and forced Alisson Becker into several good saves.
But it was the familiar manner in which they conceded the 40th-minute opener to Alexis Mac Allister — from a set-piece — and after a promising spell, that would have especially frustrated Sage.
Wirtz, whose last Premier League goal came against the same opponents in April, doubled the Reds’ advantage nine minutes into the second half.
Alexander Isak added to the visitors’ lead in the 89th minute, but Andoni Iraola’s side were denied a clean sheet after Eddie Nketiah scored a stoppage-time penalty.
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The visitors got to work quickly, calling Dean Henderson into a low save with a Mac Allister effort in the first minute. But Palace soon enjoyed a brief spell deep in the Liverpool half, where Tyrick Mitchell delivered a ball into the six-yard box but Jorgen Strand Larsen could not angle himself to truly pose a threat to Alisson.
Action returned to Palace’s final third, where Mac Allister attempted to fire home from a free-kick and Dominik Szoboszlai forced a diving stop from Henderson, though the ball looked to be travelling wide.
Yéremy Pino went agonisingly close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute. The crowd rose in anticipation after the Spain international collected Mitchell’s cross, then curled an effort — which looked to have Alisson beaten — off the crossbar. Pino had little time to rue the fine margins, as he was then called back into action from a corner, rising highest to meet it but directing it at the Brazil keeper for a straightforward save.
Strand Larsen, who had just been denied a shot after some good work by Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez to close in, had the ball in the back of Alisson’s net in the 33rd minute. The Norwegian’s celebrations were cut short by the offside flag and a subsequent VAR check, but Palace kept the pressure on and there was a sharp effort from Daichi Kamada, which required another quick reaction from the Liverpool keeper.
Mac Allister, unmarked, then broke the deadlock, nodding home a Szoboszlai free-kick, no doubt too easily for Sage’s liking, and Alisson preserved the lead when he saved from Quinten Timber and Adam Wharton. Wirtz made it two in the ninth minute of the second half, directing a low Bradley Barcola cross that had evaded every Eagle in the penalty area into the bottom-left corner.
Palace had a huge chance with just under 15 minutes remaining when Timber’s replacement, DarÃo Osorio, squared to Pino. He was one on one with Alisson, who perfectly timed his response, rushing forward to smother the finish, then denied Jefferson Lerma, and Nketiah lashed an effort over.
Henderson made a big stop to deny Isak with less than five minutes remaining, but he could not keep out the Sweden striker a second time when his close-range effort took a deflection and looped over the Palace keeper.
Palace won the penalty after Osorio clashed heads with Kerkez, and Nketiah delivered the consolation with a top-corner finish.
