Liverpool successfully completed another come from behind win with a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon. The FA Cup final’s head official, Allan Gunn, was not impressed with the officiating team’s performance during the contest, and claimed that referees are “stage managers, not performers.”
Despite a lackluster showing for most of the match, Liverpool secured a win in the 91st minute. However, the decisions made by the referees throughout the game were heavily debated by both sides. At least Liverpool can take comfort in the fact that they are at the top of the table.
Crystal Palace faced criticism from their fans after their last home game on Wednesday, and the same discontent resurfaced in the first half of the match on Saturday. The dissatisfaction of the fans was directed towards the officials for the VAR decisions made during the game.
In a breakaway attempt by the home team, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson made an impressive save from point-blank range, denying Crystal Palace an early lead. The referee’s decision to overturn a Palace penalty call halfway through the first half also raised controversy.
Moments before VAR intervened, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson made a crucial save, denying Crystal Palace a goal-scoring opportunity. Both teams struggled to keep up the pace, and in the 57th minute, Crystal Palace was awarded a penalty, giving them the lead.
Liverpool’s Jordan Ayew was shown a second yellow card and sent off in the 74th minute, allowing Liverpool to capitalize on the advantage and equalize. Moments later, Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah scored the equalizer, and in stoppage time, Harvey Elliot scored the game-winning goal for Liverpool.
Liverpool managed to clinch the win with only two shots on target throughout the entire contest.
In addition to the game’s outcome, individual player ratings included Alisson receiving 8 out of 10 for his standout performance in spite of his recent return from injury. Mohamed Salah was also praised for his role in Liverpool’s performance and received a rating of 6 out of 10.
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson was left disappointed as his side narrowly missed out on securing a victory despite a strong performance.
Overall, Liverpool’s diligence and determination, coupled with some contentious refereeing decisions, allowed them to secure a hard-fought win against Crystal Palace. Coach Jurgen Klopp’s second-half substitutions injected much-needed energy into the Liverpool side, and ultimately tipped the scales in their favor.
