Match Report
Liverpool completed their title-winning Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Ahead of the Reds receiving the trophy on home soil, Ismaila Sarr had given the away team a ninth-minute lead.
A second-half red card for Ryan Gravenberch increased the challenge for Arne Slot’s men, who nevertheless ensured they avoided defeat on a special day as Mohamed Salah netted in front of the Kop late on.
Team
Slot opted for four changes to his starting XI, which saw Luis Diaz, Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk restored.
First half
A party atmosphere greeted the Premier League champions and Emirates FA Cup winners when they emerged for kick-off.
And the sense of celebration and camaraderie continued as the sides traded guards of honour in acknowledgement of each other’s trophy successes.
The truce was broken nine minutes into the game, though. Tyrick Mitchell slid a pass from the left channel infield for Sarr, who coolly opened up his body and planted a finish around Alisson Becker.
Liverpool began to settle into possession control from there, though were unable to carve out any genuine opportunities to worry the Eagles.
Diaz had been lively, however, and the Colombian was a whisker away from equalising after taking in Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass to the edge of the box and whipping an effort just the wrong side of the right post.
The same player flicked a header over the Palace crossbar from Gravenberch’s clipped ball to the six-yard box.
On the half-hour mark, Jean-Philippe Mateta placed a strike into the hosts’ net from a very similar position to Sarr’s goal – but this one was disallowed for offside.
Diaz was subsequently kicking the post in frustration as he was denied from the champions’ best chance of the half. The No.7 was found free in the box by Salah but Eagles goalkeeper Dean Henderson blocked his low drive.
Second half
Trent Alexander-Arnold was introduced at the beginning of the second half to make his final appearance before leaving the club when his contract expires this summer.
The Reds, and Salah in particular, were aggrieved five minutes after the restart as the Egyptian’s attempt from Szoboszlai’s lay-up was thwarted by – seemingly the arm of – Maxence Lacroix. Corner, not a penalty, said the officials.
Another appeal for a spot-kick was dismissed as Gravenberch went down inside the Palace area, the referee calling simulation against the No.38.
Slot immediately shuffled his options further by deploying Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez from the bench, with Ibrahima Konate sacrificed and Gravenberch dropping into the back line.
Liverpool swiftly created an opening for Nunez, the Uruguayan sent in behind courtesy of Alexander-Arnold’s excellent through pass from deep. But Henderson sprawled to keep out the finish.
At the other end, Alisson reacted superbly to get down to, and gloves on, a low hit from Sarr with the visitors having worked an overload at the far post.
Home hopes of getting back on terms were hindered at the midway point of the second period.
Gravenberch was shown a straight red card for a professional foul, bringing down Daichi Kamada as he pounced on the Liverpool midfielder’s attempt – as last man – to control an opposition clearance.
Slot’s charges kept pushing, but Jota could only direct a bobbling effort off the left post when unselfishly teed up by Cody Gakpo in the Palace penalty box.
Perhaps fittingly, though, the final say of the Reds’ season went to the champions’ goalscorer supreme and the league’s Golden Boot winner. With 84 on the clock, Gakpo’s downward header from Nunez’s cross fell to Salah and he dispatched a scissor kick in off Lacroix.
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