After an early scare, Liverpool finally broke the Selhurst Park curse and mounted an impressive second half comeback through Sturridge’s and Lallana’s goals to secure a place in the FA Cup quarter final draw. Here’s how our individual players performed.
Simon Mignolet – 8/10
Mignolet’s fine form continued with another splendid display. He dealt very well with countless long balls, corners and free kicks by Palace and commanded his box with authority, showing real confidence in the air. He also made some smart saves, notably with his legs to deny Dwight Gayle in the first half, effectively keeping Liverpool in the game. Long may it continue.
Emre Can – 6/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Can has been brilliant recently, but this wasn’t his finest performance. Once or twice his passing was sloppy, and his positioning for Campbell’s goal could have been better. Having said this, he did carry the ball well as usual, and was largely solid for the duration of the match.
Martin Skrtel – 5/10
Skrtel has also been in fine form, although his performance level took a slight dip on this occasion. His weak header from Ledley’s long pass contributed to the Palace goal, whilst he gave away a few too many needless free kicks in dangerous areas. His aerial ability was put to the test as he cleared his lines well following a multitude of Palace corners.
Mamadou Sakho – 7/10
Sakho was tasked with the difficult job of dealing with the skilful Yannick Bolasie, but he managed to keep tabs on him very effectively and prevented the winger causing problems in one on one situations. His passing was up to scratch after a dodgy game against Spurs, and his partnership with Moreno down the left flank looks really promising. He also brought the ball forward deep into attacking areas, showing purpose and adventure which was great to see.
Lazar Markovic – 5/10
Markovic looked off the pace in this game after a fantastic performance against Spurs in midweek. His impact going forwards was minimal, and he looked somewhat afraid to take his man on. He needs to show more confidence, because he has the pace to trouble most defenders. He was also caught out of position several times in the first half, allowing Gayle too much space down the wing, before being withdrawn at half time.
Joe Allen – 7/10
With Gerrard and Lucas out injured, and Rodgers wanting to keep Emre Can as part of the consistent back three, Allen looks to have a real opportunity to prove himself in this Liverpool side. He has struggled in the last few games, but he was given the nod for this cup tie and turned in a really solid performance in central midfield. His dribbling was tidy, he got stuck into tackles and passed intelligently. If he can deliver this level of performance more often, he could be a useful squad player going forwards.
Jordan Henderson – 8/10
Henderson lead the team as captain in Gerrard’s absence, continuing his unbeaten record (6 wins, 2 draws) whenever he has started with the armband. His form has been slightly off the boil in recent weeks, but he was back to his usual, dynamic self here as he controlled the tempo and played with genuine authority. He always seems to express himself more when playing without Gerrard. He had one sublime pass which almost found Sturridge in the first half, before he lofted an inch perfect through ball for Sturridge to volley home the equaliser. It was Henderson’s 10th assist of the season, which is a terrific return for a box-to-box midfielder.
Alberto Moreno – 6/10
Moreno’s impact in attacking areas was very limited in this game, largely as a result of Palace’s formation, playing with 2 wide men which meant much of Moreno’s game was spent pegged back in a defensive position to provide cover, which he did well enough. His attempt to accompany Daniel Sturridge with his trademark dance celebration was a wonderful sight to behold.
Philippe Coutinho – 7/10
Coutinho has played a huge amount of games from the start over the past few months and unsurprisingly looks as if he could use a rest. However, he was still silky and elusive in possession here, shimmying past a solid block of Palace defenders and doing his best to manipulate space in a tightly packed central area. He had a couple of decent efforts on target which were well saved in the first half, before fading away slightly before being subbed off with 10 minutes to go.
Adam Lallana – 8/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
This was a real classy performance by Lallana who has come under some criticism for his inconsistency at times. He constantly worked hard, showed for the ball and created space in the first half and had a powerful close range shot saved superbly by Speroni. In the second half he operated from a wider position in place of Markovic, and showed brilliant anticipation to react first to Speroni parrying Balotelli’s free kick to smash in the winner from close range.
Daniel Sturridge – 7/10
It’s clear that Sturridge is still easing back into the swing of it and regaining his fitness. He gave the ball away a few times and at moments his first touch was heavy. He was unlucky not to win a blatant penalty in the first half as he was clearly tripped by the Palace defender, before lashing in a superb left footed volley to equalise from Henderson’s pass in the second half to pull Liverpool right back into the tie. Even when not quite at his sharpest, he’s still a deadly finisher.
Substitutes
Mario Balotelli – 7/10
After scoring the winner in midweek against Spurs, Balotelli started on the bench but replaced Markovic at half time as Rodgers changed the shape of the team to accommodate two strikers. Balotelli’s presence up top was very useful and he made a real positive difference for the team by working hard, holding the ball up and taking players on. He also made a decisive impact with a powerful free kick which led to Lallana scoring the rebound. More of the same please, Mario.
Dejan Lovren – N/A
Replacing Coutinho for the last 10 minutes, Lovren made no mistakes in clearing his lines, winning several duels and making a couple of quality forward balls late on.
Rickie Lambert – N/A
Lambert came on for the final 10 minutes, mainly to give Sturridge a rest. With Palace looking to force an equaliser, Lambert had very little to do up front.
Red Regista
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