Liverpool star Diogo Jota struck the decisive goal after just 10 minutes to help his side squeeze past Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The forward poked home after a tidy move to maintain the Reds’ place at the top of the Premier League for another weekend.
Arne Slot‘s side were relatively comfortable against the Eagles, owing to an under-par display by the hosts, and survived a late period of pressure to earn another three points. Jota’s goal came after some clever build-up which saw Cody Gakpo cross for his team-mate to convert.
Liverpool have now won six of their seven Premier League matches so far and will remain top of the Premier League until after the international break. Express Sport looks at the winners and losers from Liverpool‘s triumph.
Winners
Diogo Jota
Jota continues to prove he is the man to lead Liverpool’s front line. The Portugal star has had to be patient in a Reds shirt, having seen a plethora of more expensive forwards signed ahead of him.
But the 27-year-old proved he’s more adept at the centre-forward role in Slot’s system than the likes of Gakpo and Darwin Nunez. His clever movement allowed him to beat Trevoh Chalobah to Gakpo’s cross and he instinctively prodded the ball through Dean Henderson.
Ryan Gravenberch
Had Liverpool persuaded Martin Zubimendi to sign in the summer, things might have looked so different for Gravenberch. But a move for the Spaniard failed at the last moment, leaving Slot to rethink the make-up of his midfield.
Grevenberch has been preferred in the No. 6 role and has looked remarkably comfortable. He excelled against Palace, given an eyebrow-raising amount of space by the hosts. The Dutchman was able to control possession, particularly in the first half.
Alisson
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had very little to do at Selhurst Park, but when the Brazilian was called into action he made some very big saves. He sprawled to his right at full stretch to keep out Ismaila Sarr on the stroke of half-time, before keeping out Eddie Nketiah in the second.
Slot will be hugely concerned after Alisson was forced off with a hamstring injury with 15 minutes remaining. That Liverpool faced much more pressure when the 32-year-old was substituted speaks to his monumental influence on Liverpool‘s defence.
Losers
Cody Gakpo
This was not a bad performance from Gakpo by any stretch of the imagination. But it is unlikely to be enough to prove to Slot that he should start ahead of Luis Diaz on a more regular basis.
Diaz has been in red-hot form since Slot’s arrival but was handed a rest amid Liverpool’s busy fixture schedule. Gakpo provided the assist for Jota’s goal but otherwise struggled to match the influence of his Colombian colleague.
Curtis Jones
Just like Gakpo, Curtis Jones was rotated into Liverpool’s team to give some fringe stars an opportunity to shine. But the academy graduate also struggled to catch the eye.
Jones has Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of him in the pecking order. That is a difficult order to attempt to climb, but Jones will need to be better than this next time he gets a chance.
Caoimhin Kelleher
Kelleher does not get many opportunities as Liverpool‘s No 2 goalkeeper but might have had his time to shine when Alisson was taken off. However, the Irishman was absent from the matchday squad through illness.
Instead, Vitezslav Jaros was handed a Premier League debut from the bench. The Czech international made a good save from Eberechi Eze, and presents further competition to Kelleher.