James Milner and Sadio Mané scored either side of half-time as Crystal Palace could not maintain an unbeaten Premier League start against Liverpool.
Controversy arose when Mohamed Salah went down in the box under Mamadou Sakho’s outstretched leg before Milner converted from 12 yards out.
The Eagles had chances to equalise, but Mané was put through one-on-one late with Wayne Hennessey before rounding the goalkeeper and tucking the ball away.
Here are five things we learned…
Salah was no hero, but is Sakho blameless?
Replays suggest the reigning player of the season made the most of the contact from the defender as he tried to evade his markers inside Palace’s 18-yard box.
However, had Sakho not continued to oustretch his leg to stab the ball away then Salah probably doesn’t get the decision.
The hosts did well to mitigate last season’s leading Premier League goalscorer from running amok, but this blemished their overall display.
Wan-Bissaka likely made the right choice – unfortunately Palace paid for it
It’s the 20-year-old full back’s first-ever sending off in a Premier League fixture, however, it was not gained through sheer recklessness.
He found himself in a high-risk situation of either preventing Salah from doubling the lead or stopping it.
Despite being shown a red card, his efforts were appreciated and it was shown through how he was applauded off the pitch by the fans.
Liverpool were the better team despite the hosts’ fightback
The Champions League finalists dominated large periods of the game with the crisp attacking play expected of a team challenging for the title.
Particularly impressive was Naby Keita, as he demonstrated his creative abilities to pick apart defences with near-perfect passes.
That’s not to say Palace didn’t defend well – they did – but the Reds were on top and were eventually going to wear their opponents down.
Meyer’s cameo showed what he was bought for
He was never expected to turn the tie around all by himself, Palace were already a goal and a man down by the time he came on.
But he nearly involved himself in an equaliser late on and used his agility to weave through the opposition midfield.
It was encouraging to see and one wonders how he will fit into Roy Hodgson’s system this season.
Hennessey deserves credit given his position is under threat
The signing of Vicente Guaita during the summer inarguably means Wayne Hennessey will have to fight for his position as Palace’s number one.
Although he looks to have been signed to shore up the goalkeeper position it does not mean the Wales international’s position is guaranteed.
He did help himself with some remarkable saves in formidable opposition against Liverpool and will hope to continue in similar vein against Watford.
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