Liverpool vs Crystal Palace: Five things we learned from frantic seven-goal thriller as Mohamed Salah stars

Liverpool 4-3 Crystal Palace: The home side initially went behind but responded after the break to claim a vital win

Liverpool were slim winners over Crystal Palace at Anfield to extend their lead over Manchester City in the Premier League.

Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead in the second half after Andros Townsend put Palace ahead in the first half.

James Tomkins’ reply brought back the nerves at Anfield but Salah pounced on a goalkeeping error by Julian Speroni and restored the lead before Sadio Mane made it 4-2 in the late stages after James Milner was sent off following his second yellow card.

Max Meyer added a third for Palace deep into added time but the points belonged to Liverpool, who will again watch City’s match against Huddersfield with interest.

Here's five things we learned from Anfield

Pressure on City

Liverpool’s slim win over Palace puts further pressure on Manchester City to beat Huddersfield Town on Sunday, not that there was a let up on the expectations on the reigning champions.

There was a feeling around Anfield that Liverpool sides of old would not have been able to turn this game around and win in such a tense fashion.

The conclusion is that this Liverpool side simply will not give up their grip on first place in the league without an almighty fight first.

Klopp inspires improvement

Whoever led the speech at the interval, and it was presumably an animated Klopp, deserves all the credit for Liverpool's latest win.

Liverpool still have the advantage (Getty)

A dreadful first 45 minutes for the Reds was a distant memory after the break as they quickly turned the goal deficit into a 2-1 lead through Salah and Firmino.

The passing in the second half was slick and the movement more purposeful from Liverpool as they worked their way back in to the game that threatened to evade them if they did not improve their performance.

Even conceding a second, a Tomkins header from a corner, would not stop Liverpool as they sought to restore their lead through a second Salah effort.

Klopp, emotionless, watched on behind the protection of his snood that went some way to hiding the disappointment on his face caused by Liverpool’s display. Inside, however, he will certainly be a lot happier than he will let on.

Hodgson almost inflicts defeat on Liverpool

A series of disappointing results and performances has increased the slight pressure on Hodgson at Selhurst Park this season.

Seemingly negative tactics that appear to limit the extent of the creative freedom his team plays with has led to some dismal Saturday afternoons. However, against the big teams he seems to be getting it right.

James Tomkins celebrates after equalising for Crystal Palace against Liverpool (Reuters)

As with the win against Manchester City, Palace sat deep with a well-regimented 4-5-1 and made it very difficult for Liverpool to create chances, then picking the right moments to attack when specific opportunities opened up.

Palace were arguably unfortunate not to get something at Anfield, and a spirited display should ease any concerns Hodgson has with his side.

Liverpool miss Alexander-Arnold

Signing a new contract proves Trent Alexander-Arnold’s undoubtable value to this Liverpool team, and he was certainly missed against Palace.

Palace’s regimented system meant that either a precisely worked team move or a moment of individual brilliance was going to get Liverpool into the game. Given the concentration of the visitors it was unlikely to be the latter and Liverpool began trying intricate passes to work their way through their opposition.

Getting the ball in wide areas was one way to counter this and Andy Robertson assumed a new responsibility as the game aged, but the same cannot be said of James Milner on the opposite side, who was sent off late in the game after receiving a second yellow card.

From a defensive point of view he was well-beaten by Wilfried Zaha for Palace’s first goal before offering little in attacking areas.

Alexander-Arnold is likely to miss the next match against Leicester through injury and you sense that this side need him back as soon as possible if they are to maintain not just their relentless results, but their high quality football too.

Speroni becomes oldest active player in the league

Injuries to Vicente Guita and Wayne Hennessey meant that Palace were forced into playing their third-choice goalkeeper against one of the best attacking sides in world football. A task, Hodgson argued before the game, that may be too much for a youth player that is often a club’s third goalkeeper, but not for Palace’s 39-year-old veteran.

(Action Images via Reuters (Action Images via Reuters)

Julian Speroni became the oldest active player in the Premier League when he walked out at Anfield and made his first start of the season, another appearance to add to the hundreds he has banked at Palace.

The experienced goalkeeper initially responded with confidence when called into action but was at fault for Liverpool’s third goal as he directed a cross towards his own net for Salah to convert on the line.

The club remain in talks with Sao Paolo goalkeeper Lucas Perri on loan with a view to a permanent deal but nothing will happen imminently.