Harvey Elliott of Liverpool celebrates after scoring

'It can't be said' - national media notice something about Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool came from behind to beat Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon to earn another valuable Premier League win

10 Dec 2023, 06:00 by Tom Cavilla · Liverpool Echo

'It can't be said' - national media notice something about Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool send warning

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Liverpool left it late at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon to snatch all three points, Harvey Elliott firing past goalkeeper Remi Matthews to complete an impressive turnaround.

The Reds had fallen behind after a somewhat controversial penalty was awarded to the home side and subsequently converted by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 57th minute of the match, though a red card shown to Jordan Ayew changed the course of the contest.

Mohamed Salah got Liverpool back on track with a deflected strike beating Sam Johnstone before substitute Elliott popped up late on to break Palace hearts.

Sharing their assessment of the action that unfolded at Selhurst Park were the national media, along with the ECHO's own Ian Doyle, whose thoughts on proceedings can be found below.

'Liverpool had 15 minutes to spark a turnaround but barely needed one'

Tom Allnutt of the Times wrote:

"Liverpool had 15 minutes to spark a turnaround but barely needed one as Gomez sent Alexander-Arnold to the byline and his cross was chested back into the danger zone by Michael Olise. Salah pounced on the loose ball and swept it home, aided by a deflection off Nathaniel Clyne.

"The pattern was set in the final stages as Palace, down to ten, dropped deeper and Liverpool advanced in search of a second. It came in the 91st minute as Salah played in Elliott and dashed forward, expecting the return pass. Instead, Elliott went alone, surprising his team-mate and the Palace defence, before unleashing with his left foot, the ball dipping into the bottom corner."

'This season's tinkerman'

Matt Law of the Telegraph wrote:

"Jürgen Klopp has become this season’s ‘tinkerman’ and it was his final two changes that inspired a late comeback victory for Liverpool against 10-man Crystal Palace and kept his team’s title bid on track.

"Liverpool manager Klopp made five changes from the side that beat Sheffield United on Wednesday night and made five more from the substitutes’ bench as he attempted to inject some life into his team at Selhurst Park.

"Klopp has chopped and changed his team more than any other Premier League manager so far this season and the decision to send on substitutes Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones proved to be the turning point.

"Barely 60 seconds after replacing Darwin Nunez, Elliott was fouled by Jordan Ayew, which earned the Palace forward his second yellow card. And moments later, Jones, on for Dominik Szoboszlai, teed up Mohamed Salah to equalise.

"It was Elliott who then won the game for Liverpool with a 20-yard shot in the first minute of time added on for stoppages that beat Palace’s substitute goalkeeper Remi Matthews after Sam Johnstone had gone off injured."

'Ominous for everyone else'

Miguel Delaney of the Independent wrote:

"The most relevant aspect for Liverpool is another win without being that convincing. The title race continues to take shape. As to whether this Liverpool team are taking shape for the title race. Well, they aren’t yet firing and Klopp is constantly having to make changes, as illustrated by the key substitutions here.

"There are two ways to look at that, as Liverpool keep picking up three points. One is that this is unsustainable and they will gradually be caught out. Another is that a growing team is keeping momentum as they continue to find their feet. That might be ominous for everyone else if they do manage a new-year run in the way they did in 2021-22. For the moment, all they can do is win, which is what they are doing.

"There was more discussion of the refereeing and VAR. The most important words of the day, however, ended up being Klopp telling Jones and Elliott to go on. It means Liverpool keep going in this race. That’s one case where it can’t be said it’s too early."

'An excellent knack for saving lost causes'

Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail wrote:

"For so long, Roy Hodgson was spoiling those Crystal Palace fans. Spoiling them rotten. And then their day was simply spoilt by a side that has developed an excellent knack for saving lost causes.

"That’s what this Liverpool side can do. They can dance with the best of them, but they fight and they scrap and they keep on finding success in the most unlikely of performances.

"For make no mistake, this was a poor one. Or rather it was in the first half. They were slow, disjointed, lethargic and after 57 minutes they were behind, dropped on their backsides by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty.

"Having started the day with a chance to go top, Liverpool were blowing it against a team with one win in eight and a manager who this week had criticised his own ‘spoilt’ supporters before then issuing an apology. Strange times and a strange game.

"But how it turned. First, Jordan Ayew was sent off and it had the whiff of a harsh call, not to mention a momentum-changer, because almost immediately Mo Salah levelled with the 200th goal of his Liverpool career. A remarkable tally for a remarkable player and what seemed, at best, to be the highlight of an unremarkable display for man and collective.

"And yet there was more, because with the game one minute into the 10 of stoppage time, Harvey Elliott scored a beauty. Jurgen Klopp erupted but perhaps there should have been little surprise – Liverpool have won 18 points from losing positions this season. Premier League titles are won by quality but also with backbone and Liverpool are loaded with both."

'It speaks volumes for the character and resilience'

Ian Doyle of the Liverpool ECHO wrote:

"The mixture of delight and relief from the Liverpool players as they sprinted towards the away end to celebrate was almost palpable. As against Sheffield United in midweek, they had overcome a disjointed performance to secure a vital away win that tees up perfectly the forthcoming home double-header against Manchester United and Arsenal.

"Klopp rightly lauded the impact of the bench and 11 goals have now been scored by Liverpool substitutes this season. And of the 37 points they have accrued in the Premier League, almost half – 18 – have been garnered from losing positions.

"While the Reds boss will know that isn’t sustainable if a title challenge is to be maintained, it speaks volumes for the character and resilience of his team. Indeed, it’s now just one Premier League defeat in the last 27 matches. Hardly a flash in the pan, this team.

"Big games and big moments demand big players. And while too many floundered – bodies and minds understandably sapped by the relentlessly intense schedule – how Liverpool’s senior figures stepped up here when required."

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