Mo’ Salah Hits Milestone To Defeat Eagles As Liverpool Heads Top Of Premier League Table

Liverpool had a lot of the ball in the early exchanges, but Crystal Palace, led by Roy Hodgson, defended well. The Reds had a couple of attempts, one by Kostas Tsimikas and another by Ryan Gravenberch, but they were well-blocked.

Joel Ward, in his 350th appearance for Palace, made important stops, using his toe to block Mohamed Salah and his head to prevent a cross from reaching Darwin Núñez.

Alisson Becker made the first save of the game when Jordan Ayew’s cross was met by Jefferson Lerma’s first-time finish. Despite a VAR check overturning a penalty decision, Crystal Palace continued to defend strongly, with Chris Richards and Will Hughes blocking shots from Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.

GET IN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/CrzAr3zeiw— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 9, 2023

The first half ended without a breakthrough. At the start of the second half, Jean-Philippe Mateta won a penalty for Palace, which he took himself, scoring and sending Selhurst Park into celebration.

After 75 minutes, the game turned when Jordan Ayew received a second yellow card, reducing Palace to 10 men. Soon after, Mohamed Salah scored his 200th goal for Liverpool, leveling the score.

Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was injured and replaced by debutant Remi Matthews. Harvey Elliott scored for Liverpool, securing a 2-1 victory and putting them at the top of the table. Despite Joachim Andersen’s late attempt for Palace, they left with bitter disappointment and just one point in their last six matches.