Rating Every Red: Who Stood Up as Liverpool Won at Selhurst Park

Liverpool went to south London needing a reaction and came home with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. It was not flawless, and Palace had their moments, but there were some excellent individual displays in red. Here is how we scored every player, plus the head coach, from Selhurst Park.

The Starting XI

• Alisson Becker: 9/10. Our standout performer. Two sharp saves before the break kept Palace out when they had the better of the spells, and he was just as commanding after the restart. The late penalty was beyond him. Our man of the match.
• Ronald Araújo: 7/10. A touch sloppy in possession during the first half, but physically he held firm. Sharper and more switched on in the second period, which is what the game demanded. Replaced in stoppage time.
• Milos Kerkez: 6/10. Offered a willing option down the left and was tidy enough with the ball in both halves. The penalty he conceded at the death drags his mark down, because it cost us a clean sheet.
• Jérémy Jacquet: 8/10. Calm, alert and disciplined. The young Frenchman read danger well, covered plenty of ground and kept his focus when Palace tried to squeeze us.
• Virgil van Dijk: 8/10. Won almost everything in the air and was constantly organising those around him. After the interval he stayed authoritative, clearing danger without fuss.
• Alexis Mac Allister: 8/10. Positionally excellent through the first half, controlling the tempo, and he popped up with another big header for the opener. Got a little reckless at times after the break, but settled once Nyoni came on to help him.
• Dominik Szoboszlai: 6/10. His set-piece delivery created the first goal, which matters. Beyond that he worked hard and ran plenty in the second half, but central midfield still lacked the composure we wanted from him. Off on 68 minutes.
• Florian Wirtz: 8/10. Found the first half frustrating against a deep, compact Palace block and could not pick the right pass. Came alive after the break, tucking away a neat close-range finish and setting up Isak’s goal.
• Alexander Isak: 7/10. Looked rusty for long stretches, holding the ball too long and getting crowded out by defenders. Still, he stayed patient and finished clinically when the chance came to seal it late on. Withdrawn on 90 minutes.
• Bradley Barcola: 6/10. Plenty of pace and willing running, but too often the space simply was not there for him. Improved after the restart and supplied the pass for Wirtz’s goal. Replaced after 68 minutes.
• Cody Gakpo: 6/10. Drifted on the fringes of the game for much of his time on the pitch, struggling with the lack of room out wide. Never really managed to stamp his mark on proceedings before coming off on 76 minutes.

Off the Bench

• Trey Nyoni: 6/10. Introduced on 68 minutes to bring calm in midfield, and he did help steady things alongside Mac Allister.
• Víctor Muñoz: 6/10. Also on at 68 minutes, adding fresh legs and pace on the flank.
• Rio Ngumoha: 6/10. Came on with 14 minutes left and showed some clever movement in the final third.
• Lewis Koumas: N/A. Only arrived on 90 minutes, too late to rate.
• Joe Gomez: N/A. Brought on in stoppage time to help see the game out.

The Head Coach

• Andoni Iraola: 9/10. His starting line-up was the one most of us expected and it was set up to go after Palace from the first whistle. Swapping the wide players at half time worked almost immediately, and his changes on the hour mark gave us the energy and control we had been lacking.

Our Verdict

This was not perfect, and Palace exposed a few of the same issues that have cost us lately. But the spine of the side performed, and Wirtz and Isak both delivered when it counted. Heading into the break, we will gladly take three points and a much better feeling around the squad.