Where Liverpool once lost Premier League title, now they show it can be theirs again

Greg Lea writes Liverpool infamously combusted at Selhurst Park two and a half years ago – on Saturday they showed some of the same problems but also a resilience and quality that may set them apart this time.

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane. John Sibley / Action Images / Reuters / October 29, 2016

Crystal Palace 2-4 Liverpool

PAL: McArthur 18’, 33’; LIV: Can 16’, Lovren 21’, Matip 44’, Firmino 71’

Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

Liverpool do not have particularly fond memories of Selhurst Park.

It was at this compact and old-fashioned ground in southeast London that their title hopes were dramatically ended in May 2014, a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace leaving the path clear for Manchester City to swoop in and secure the championship crown a few days later.

Liverpool, who led 3-0 with 11 minutes left on the clock, comprehensively capitulated in the closing stages as Palace, backed by a raucous home crowd, completed one of the most memorable comebacks in Premier League history.

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Much has changed in the two and a half years since. Brendan Rodgers, the man in charge of the visitors that night, was replaced by Jurgen Klopp last October, while Philippe Coutinho was the only member of the matchday squad in 2013/14 who started Saturday’s clash against the same opponents.

One similarity between the two games was the openness, entertainment and sheer number of errors at the back. While most neutrals would have lapped up Liverpool’s topsy-turvy 4-2 triumph, fans of tactical organisation and defensive discipline will have been left tearing their hair out.

Alan Pardew has spoken of adapting his side's style of play this year, with the Palace boss aiming to oversee a shift away from the club's customary counter-attacking approach and towards a more possession-based modus operandi.

That may be the objective in the medium-term, but Pardew was happy for his team to cede control of the ball for much of this encounter. Liverpool started strongly, immediately camping themselves inside the hosts’ half, and saw their positive mindset rewarded with an early opener from Emre Can, who swept home ­Alberto Moreno’s cut-back from the left.

It did not take long for Palace to get back on level terms, though, James McArthur taking advantage of Dejan Lovren’s scuffed clearance to nod the ball past the stranded Loris Karius.

The centre-back redeemed himself soon after, heading a Coutinho corner into the back of the net to edge Liverpool ahead once more. After a whirlwind five minutes, in which his charges had taken, squandered and then reclaimed the advantage, Klopp could be forgiven for puffing out his cheeks on the touchline.

The first-half drama was not over there, however. Liverpool spurned a number of promising openings, before McArthur – who has already doubled his goal tally from last season – made them pay for their profligacy with another headed effort.

Once again, though, Palace were undone by some slack set-piece defending, allowing Joel Matip ample time and space to turn the ball past Steve Mandanda from inside the six-yard box.

If the hosts went into the interval a little dazed following an eventful five-goal half, they could at least be grateful that the division of strikes was much kinder than it perhaps should have been.

The second period brought little respite from Liverpool’s fluid and fast-paced form of attacking, but Palace caused problems of their own once they had settled, with Christian Benteke’s aerial threat troubling his former club throughout.

Ultimately, though, they were unable to fight back for a third time, and Roberto Firmino’s dinked finish put Klopp’s charges out of reach in the 71st minute.

Building on a 2-1 win secured here in March, Liverpool look to have banished their Selhurst Park blues. Now for the Premier League title.

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