Liverpool were unable to bounce back from a dire midweek defeat to Real Madrid after being held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace, though Patrick Vieira’s wait for a first win of the year continues.
Arriving off the back of conceding five UEFA Champions League goals at Anfield for the first time – all but ending their European adventures for this campaign – the Reds needed an immediate response to keep pressure on the Premier League top-four.
Darwin Núñez’s absence therefore caused Jürgen Klopp a headache, though it gave him the chance to hand Diogo Jota a first start since October, with Liverpool taking charge of the game early on.
It wasn’t long before all-too-familiar nerves started to surface in Liverpool’s backline, as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s misplaced backpass gave Jean-Philippe Mateta an early opening, though the Palace forward fluffed his lines when one-on-one with Alisson.
Arguably the best chance of a low-quality half fell to Jota as he nodded against the post, but Alexander-Arnold was again at fault before HT.
The defender was nudged off the ball by Jeffrey Schlupp, who immediately found Mateta, and the Frenchman maybe should have done better than smashing his effort onto the crossbar.
Mohamed Salah was the next to be denied by the woodwork after the restart as his curling strike almost made it 14 goal contributions from nine games against the Londoners.
Palace continued to toil in front of their pleading home faithful however, knowing that a first home win since October could serve as the ultimate pressure release with Vieira’s struggling side looking to escape potential drop-zone drama.
As the final stages approached, Klopp made changes in order to breathe life into his stifled Reds, who looked at risk of being caught out on the counter, attacks which were often led by Michael Olise who impressed once again.
The German’s shuffle drew a blank however, and Liverpool’s difficult evening was summed up as Cody Gakpo chipped wide when through on goal in the final 10 minutes.
Ultimately, this evening’s result provides yet more evidence of Liverpool’s slide with the visitors missing the opportunity to close the gap on Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.
