Florian Wirtz scored his first Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool beat struggling Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park. Under-pressure Eagles boss Pierre Sage's side showed promise in the first half, hitting the crossbar and forcing Alisson Becker into several good saves. But it was the familiar manner in which they conceded the 40th-minute opener to Alexis Mac Allister from a set-piece that frustrated Sage. Wirtz doubled the Reds' advantage nine minutes into the second half, and Alexander Isak added a third in the 89th minute. Andoni Iraola's side were denied a clean sheet when Eddie Nketiah scored a stoppage-time penalty.
The visitors got to work quickly, calling Dean Henderson into a low save with a Mac Allister effort in the first minute. Palace soon enjoyed a brief spell deep in the Liverpool half, where Tyrick Mitchell delivered a ball into the six-yard box but Jorgen Strand Larsen could not angle himself to truly pose a threat. Yéremy Pino went agonisingly close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute, hitting the crossbar. Palace kept the pressure on, but Mac Allister broke the deadlock, nodding home a Szoboszlai free-kick. Wirtz made it two in the ninth minute of the second half, directing a low cross into the bottom-left corner. Palace had a huge chance with just under 15 minutes remaining, but Alisson perfectly timed his response to smother the finish. Henderson made a big save to deny Isak, but the Sweden striker headed in a deflected effort late on. Nketiah delivered the consolation with a top-corner finish.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing