5 Things We Learnt From Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace

 1)First Liverpool start for Ibrahima Konate 

Konate had a good game at central defense and Liverpool kept a clean sheet on his debut. It was a slow start for him as he gave away a loose ball and also made a dangerous clearance but he grew in stature as the game went on. In the first half, he outmuscled Zaha and also showed great strength to stay with Benteke. Early on in the second half, he got himself into trouble after a poor touch to Milner but redeemed himself at the end when he made a vital block from Edouard.

2)Both full-backs had a good game

Trent was unwell so Milner had to come in at RB whereas Tsimikas came in for Robertson as Klopp continued to rotate his pack. I think even the most optimistic Liverpool fans would have been worried to see neither of our established full-backs starting the game. However, both Milner and Tsimikas had a good game. Milner had his hands full with Zaha but he did well to support Henderson and Salah as much as he could.  He also whipped in some delicious crosses as did Tsimikas who was a very lively outlet on the left. Both Trent and Robbo have played an outstandingly large number of games over the past three years so it was very satisfying to see them get a rest without negatively affecting the performance. For the first time in years, Liverpool have able back-ups to both full-back positions.

3) Sadio Mane creates history as he scored his 100th Liverpool goal

Mane became the first Premier League player to score 9 consecutive league goals against a single opponent. As mentioned above, the goal came as a result of a cheeky corner routine. Tsimikas whipped  in the ball as Salah made a great run round the back to head the ball. He was extremely unlucky as Guaita saved his effort but Mane found himself at the right place at the right time and scored the rebound. 

4) Thiago was missed in the 2nd half as Liverpool looked shaky defensively 

Another day, another injury for Liverpool. It's getting pretty annoying to see one of our players getting subbed off due injury every week. Today it was Thiago Alcantara who most likely suffered a calf strain and had to be replaced by Naby Keita in the 62nd minute. Thiago was not having the best of games having made two cynical challenges in the 1st half but his presence was definitely missed after he was substituted. His calmness on the ball would have come in handy as Palace continued to launch attacks at Liverpool in the 2nd half. Palace almost equalized via Edouard but his poor touch and Alisson's quick reflexes prevented them from doing so.   

     

5)Set-pieces were key

Liverpool didn't create a whole host of chances in the game but thanks to some really good corners, they were able to score three goals. The first goal came from what looked like a training ground rehearsed routine as Salah's header was saved by Guaita but Mane pounced on the rebound. For the second goal, Van Dijk headed the ball but it fell for Salah who finished with aplomb. Finally, for the third goal, Guaita punched the ball but it fell right at the edge of the box to Keita who scored an absolute screamer.