When Liverpool needed a goal, Philippe Coutinho once again answered the call as he did in Week 1 and just has he did twice against Chelsea.
Unfortunately for the fans at Anfield, Crystal Palace had a clutch scorer of their own in Scott Dann, who gave Alan Pardew’s side the win with less than 10 minutes to play.
The loss was the first for Liverpool in all competitions since Jurgen Klopp took over, and at a distant 10th position on the table, Klopp will need to put on a magic show to bring the club back into contention.
Here are the Liverpool player ratings from their 1-2 loss v Crystal Palace:
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GK Simon Mignolet – 6.5/10
Not exactly the best outing Mignolet has had recently. But it’s hard for any stopper to defend against Dann’s rebounding header.
DF Alberto Moreno – 7.5/10
Won a tonne of challenges, hit several dangerous corners on target and even drew a foul.
DF Mamadou Sakho – 5/10
Decent first half, a bit out of position on the Bolasie goal, but his attempt to make up for it ended early with an apparent knee injury. Get well soon Sakho!
DF Martin Skrtel – 5/10
Not his worst day, but Skrtel did not give Liverpool much help for either of the goals.
DF Nathaniel Clyne – 6/10
Clyne actually had a good game, but that late yellow card preceded a defensive breakdown that led to the 2nd goal.
MF Lucas Leiva – 6/10
Besides distributing the ball, Leiva did not do much for the Reds.
MF Emre Can – 7/10
A passing machine who kept control of the ball almost the entirety of his time on the pitch.
MF Jordon Ibe – 6/10
Four corners and two drawn fouls, plus a shot that was well defended.
MF Adam Lallana – 7.5/10
Lallana had a big assist on Coutinho’s goal and a well-placed shot that went just a foot or two above the bar.
MF Philippe Coutinho – 8/10
Once again Liverpool was in dire need of a goal, and once again Coutinho delivered under pressure – in the first half at least.
FW Christian Benteke – 6.5/10
Had a hard time winning his challenges, but Benteke did as much as anyone could ask of him.
Substitutes:
Dejan Lovren – 7.5/10
Lovren had to replace solid defensive production from Sakho and performed admirably as an injury sub.
Roberto Firmino – 6/10
Klopp hoped Firmino would create more opportunities for Liverpool to score, and to an extent he did. It just wasn’t enough.
Divock Origi – 4/10
Stoppage-time sub.