Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Crystal Palace 2 Liverpool 1 in the 2025-2026 Premier Leagu at Selhurst Park…
THE FIRST-HALF wasn’t just not good enough, it was the sort of first-half which should see you out of a game. It was the sort of first-half which should lead to serious review.
Credit to Crystal Palace for that, but no surprises from Crystal Palace either. The latter is what is damning from Liverpool’s point of view.
I could spend this writing explaining why Ismaila Sarr is exceptional and how much he hurts you in that role and how he damages your line.
I could instead write about Jean-Philippe Mateta and why he is the best alehouse forward of the last ten years. (You should know enough to know that is close to the highest of compliments from me).
Or we could talk about Daniel Munoz, the man who won Crystal Palace’s player of the year last year ahead of Marc Guehi, Dean Henderson, Eberechi Eze or either of the above.
The point is that I could have written all the above about these lads, about Oliver Glasner, about the club having the best calendar year of their entire existence on Friday.
There were no surprises.
Crystal Palace turned up, won a corner which wasn’t theirs to win and then were the best version of themselves for 45 minutes and Liverpool had no answer. Liverpool seemed to be surprised by the question.
And that isn’t good enough.
The manager is ruthless with his players and I adore him for it. He is the most honest man in town and he is the soundest man I know. But today wasn’t good enough and that is, first and foremost, on him. His players let the side down, starting with Tuesday night, but none of that is a sufficient excuse. Crystal Palace are crystal clear about the problems they will pose. They are rigidly themselves.
Liverpool only don’t go in three down because they have the best goalkeeper in the world. That they end up losing this game is, more than anything, an insult to him. He is the most precious commodity.
Liverpool are terrible first-half, good second-half at 1-0, dreadful second-half at 1-1 and Liverpool get what they deserve.
The positives: Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Federico Chiesa who genuinely should feel hard done to. He shows yet again. I’ve been a Chiesa sceptic but it is time he started meaningful games.
The negatives: I mean good god, where do you start? Well Ibou Konate who may well think he could play for Real Madrid next season. Maybe he should. Crystal Palace will finish 8th or 8th-ish. And they battered him. Maybe it is easier to skate through games against 8th playing for them. Because they battered him first-half, they took him to the cleaners. Conor Bradley found it hard both in and out of possession.
In a way my biggest concern is Alexis Mac Allister who finds long stretches of games difficult at the moment. So many of his strengths are currently inverted. He can’t find space, can’t find time, can’t find a man. He malfunctions before our eyes. He needs both games and a break and I don’t envy the manager working out the solution.
Where we need more from the manager is around Mo Salah. Last season everything was built around him but this season the idea appears to be he decorates games. This is lovely in theory but the blood and bone means more Salah not less.
This throws us back to the set up. Florian Wirtz is not a left-forward. He may pull that way but he isn’t that. Wirtz grows into the game only to be hooked. He shows again that it will come. But we could do with more on the journey.
The defeat stings and the suspicion of offside is present but the truth is that we didn’t deserve a point. We played at 1-0 like a team who, if they found one would find two, but we couldn’t see that through.
Instead we get beat. I’m alright with getting beat. You get beat. The nature of playing and wanting to play is you get beat from time to time. Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser is a cliche. A good loser, the best loser, learns from losing. Gerard Houllier was a great loser. Alex Ferguson was a fucking brilliant loser. One of the best there has ever been. I get beat all the time. It just doesn’t happen on television, in public view.
But Liverpool need to get better from it, need to learn, need to improve. This side currently has as many questions as answers and this side will end this weekend top of the pops. Frankly: the best team in the country needs to get better.
Our opponents today are yet again a credit to themselves, their manager and this league. Walk around them. Look at how they eke everything out of their resources. Admire them. Adore them.
Liverpool’s job is to take their resources and eke everything out. Take Anfield and eke everything out. Take every moment and eke everything out. Crystal Palace are a strong reminder that we’re all in it together, that we’re capable of everything at any moment – the best calendar year in our history being one of those things.
Nothing today stops that. Be good losers, Liverpool, be the best losers, the best learners. Be on the march. You get beat from time to time. Fuck it. Time to show me what winning really looks like.
Subscribe for immediate post-match reaction from around the ground…
