Liverpool vs Crystal Palace: Five things we learned as Reds thrash Eagles to close in on title

Jurgen Klopp’s side dismissed visitors with ease and apathy on Wednesday evening

Liverpool achieved an emphatic 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, with Trent Alexander-Arnold opening the scoring with a delicious free-kick and Sadio Mane wrapping things up midway through the second half.

Between those strikes were a trademark Momahed Salah finish and a mean drive from Fabinho as Liverpool closed in on their first Premier League title in 30 years.

The trophy could be theirs as soon as Thursday, should Manchester City fail to win against Chelsea, and while that would arguably constitute an underwhelming end to Liverpool’s overwhelming season, it won’t be what’s remembered in years to come.

Wednesday’s result will be looked back upon fondly, however.

Here are five things we learned as Jurgen Klopp’s men condemned Palace to a bruising defeat.

Destiny awaits for Liverpool

Wednesday night might just have marked the eve of a day that Liverpool fans have pined for since 1990.

If Man City fail to beat Chelsea on Thursday evening, the Premier League title will be Liverpool’s. It would admittedly be an unfitting end to such a bewilderingly impressive campaign for Klopp’s side, and it’s similarly a shame that supporters could not be present for what might have been the Reds’ last home game before sealing the title.

But as Klopp said this week, it does not matter how or when Liverpool get it done; no one can question the mettle or credibility of the champions-in-waiting at this point.

It is also worth noting that the sight of a deflated Hodgson – head coach at Anfield between 2010 and 2011 – offered a stark reminder of how far Liverpool have come.

Liverpool fans, brace yourselves. Thirty years of hurt are about to fade out of relevance and into history.

Alexander-Arnold steps up

It’s fair to say that Liverpool’s first-choice right-back was somewhat short of his usual level of sublime deliveries when the Reds took on rivals Everton at the weekend. But it didn’t take long at all for the 21-year-old to find his touch against Palace.

Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool celebrates with teammates (Getty Images)

After some minor debate as to who should take a well-positioned free-kick for the hosts 23 minutes into the game, Alexander-Arnold stepped up to the dead ball. And as soon as it left his boot, its destination was determined.

Perhaps that had been decided even before Alexander-Arnold struck the ball, before the foul was won, before the hometown lad even stepped onto the Anfield pitch on Wednesday night.

The finish was as impressive as it was important to Liverpool’s efforts to secure that elusive Premier League title sooner rather than later. It was also the highlight of a much improved performance by the right-back.

Salah jogs the collective memory

There was something about the way Salah chested down Fabinho’s lofted pass into the Palace box in the first half that stirred the synapses, forcing you to sit up and remember: ‘That’s right... That’s what he does.’

From there, there was no doubting that the Egypt forward would finish past Wayne Hennessey, but there was still time for Salah to add an extra dimension to the moment, flicking the ball back past the goalkeeper when the obvious option was to put it to the Welshman’s right.

Can fans be forgiven for needing a reminder of how clinical Salah is in those situations, given the 100-plus days of waiting? Following that goal, they certainly didn’t need any more evidence of his quality, though Salah provided it with a perfectly-weighted, first-time pass for Mane’s finish in the second half.

These touches of brilliance were just more signs of the world slowly returning to normal.

Palace’s run as Reds’ bogey team is a thing of the past

Crystal Palace have been the closest thing Liverpool have had to a bogey team in recent years.

Of course, it is impossible to forget how they erased a 3-0 Liverpool lead in May of 2014 to effectively end the Reds’ title challenge, but they have also proved a nuisance for the Merseyside club on other occasions, such as when they handed Klopp his first defeat of his time in England, or when they emerged victorious at Anfield in April three years ago – making them the last team to beat the hosts in their backyard.

Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino in action with Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy and Joel Ward (Reuters)

But in this season in which Liverpool have been relentless and ruthless in chasing down their targets, even Palace could not complicate things here.

Hodgson’s men were trampled as Liverpool marched onwards with the Premier League trophy glistening in their gaze.

Palace deserve praise despite defeat

That might seem like a strange statement, considering the one that preceded it, but Palace’s demise was not representative of a hopeless display.

The Eagles did not stop fighting over the course of the 90 minutes, and they continued to exhibit organisational instincts up until the final whistle. Of course, those instincts were undone in three key moments of the game as Salah, Fabinho and Mane scored from open play, but Hodgson’s side picked themselves up each time and focused on staying in shape as much as Liverpool’s elastic offence would permit.

It seems that whichever team stood opposite Liverpool on Wednesday would have been doomed to fail, so Palace should not dwell on this result too long – a European place is still achievable and the Eagles should continue to track that goal.