Liverpool See Off Crystal Palace with Late Wirtz Strike at Anfield
Liverpool FC maintained their push in the Premier League with a 3–1 home victory over Crystal Palace FC on matchday 34, decided by first-half dominance and a late clincher at Anfield.
The breakthrough came on 35 minutes when Alexander Isak finished a move created by Alexis Mac Allister, the Argentine registering the first of his two assists to put Liverpool 1–0 up. Five minutes later, the lead was doubled: Andrew Robertson struck in the 40th minute after being picked out by Curtis Jones, giving the hosts a commanding 2–0 advantage before the interval.
Crystal Palace had disciplinary issues early on, with Daniel Muñoz booked in the 19th minute and goalkeeper Dean Henderson cautioned on 32 minutes. The visitors adjusted at half-time, introducing Borna Sosa for Tyrick Mitchell, and further freshened their attack shortly before the hour with Yeremy replacing Brennan Johnson.
Palace’s response arrived on 71 minutes. Muñoz, already on a yellow card, pulled a goal back to make it 2–1, setting up a tense final spell. Liverpool had earlier swapped Mohamed Salah for Jeremie Frimpong on 59 minutes, while Palace added Jørgen Strand Larsen for Jean-Philippe Mateta in search of an equaliser.
The hosts reshaped late on, with Ryan Gravenberch replacing Isak and a double change in the 87th minute as Joe Gomez and Milos Kerkez came on for Jones and Robertson. Liverpool then secured the points deep into stoppage time: Florian Wirtz struck in the 90+6th minute, again from a Mac Allister assist, restoring a two-goal cushion at 3–1.
There were late yellow cards for Dominik Szoboszlai and Palace defender Sosa in the 90th minute as the match wound down. Beyond the confirmed goals, bookings and substitutions listed here, more detailed in-game statistics and events were not available at the time of writing.
Full match details and competition context can be found on Ballaxy: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace, Liverpool FC, Crystal Palace FC, and the Premier League hub.
Premier League Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Arsenal FC
|
35 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 67 | 26 | 41 | 76 | W W L L W |
| 2 |
Manchester City FC
|
34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 69 | 32 | 37 | 71 | D W W W W |
| 3 |
Manchester United FC
|
35 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 63 | 48 | 15 | 64 | W W W L W |
| 4 |
Liverpool FC
|
35 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 59 | 47 | 12 | 58 | L W W W D |
| 5 |
Aston Villa FC
|
35 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 48 | 44 | 4 | 58 | L L W D L |
| 6 |
AFC Bournemouth
|
35 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 55 | 52 | 3 | 52 | W D W W W |
| 7 |
Brentford FC
|
35 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 52 | 46 | 6 | 51 | W L D D D |
| 8 |
Brighton & Hove Albion FC
|
35 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 49 | 42 | 7 | 50 | L W D W W |
| 9 |
Chelsea FC
|
35 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 54 | 48 | 6 | 48 | L L L L W |
| 10 |
Everton FC
|
35 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 48 | D L L D W |
| 11 |
Fulham FC
|
35 | 14 | 6 | 15 | 44 | 49 | -5 | 48 | L W D L L |
| 12 |
Sunderland AFC
|
35 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 37 | 46 | -9 | 47 | D L L W |
| 13 |
Newcastle United FC
|
35 | 13 | 6 | 16 | 49 | 51 | -2 | 45 | W L L L L |
| 14 |
Leeds United FC
|
35 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 43 | W D W W |
| 15 |
Crystal Palace FC
|
34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 42 | -6 | 43 | L L D W D |
| 16 |
Nottingham Forest FC
|
35 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 44 | 46 | -2 | 42 | W W W D L |
| 17 |
Tottenham Hotspur FC
|
35 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 45 | 54 | -9 | 37 | W W D L L |
| 18 |
West Ham United FC
|
35 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 61 | -19 | 36 | L W D W W |
| 19 |
Burnley FC
|
35 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 35 | 71 | -36 | 20 | L L L L |
| 20 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
|
35 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 25 | 63 | -38 | 18 | D L L L D |
