Our Verdict on Palace: Three Points, Fresh Belief and a Few Loose Ends
A week that had started to feel heavy ended with a lift. Defeats to Arsenal and then Fenerbahçe had left plenty of us asking awkward questions about this team’s energy levels, the balance in the middle of the park and how easily the back line was being pulled apart. A trip to Selhurst Park, rarely a comfortable afternoon, was hardly the fixture you would pick to settle the nerves. Yet Liverpool came away with a 3-1 win, and in our view it said more about the character of this group than either of the recent setbacks did.
It was not a polished ninety minutes, and nobody should pretend otherwise. Palace had more of the ball, fired in nineteen shots and finished with an expected goals figure almost identical to ours. But football rewards the side that takes its moments, and on Sunday that was Andoni Iraola’s team.
Alisson Set the Tone Before Anyone Else Could
If you want to know why Liverpool were still level when the game began to tilt their way, look at the goalkeeper. Palace pressed hard in the opening half hour and found space in and around our box more than once, but Alisson Becker was in the kind of mood that makes forwards shake their heads. A string of sharp stops bought the team time to settle, and that patience eventually paid off.
Read more: Alisson wants to stay, and Liverpool would be wise to listen
The breakthrough came five minutes before the interval. Dominik Szoboszlai whipped in a delivery and Alexis Mac Allister got above everyone to direct a header past the keeper. It was a goal that rewarded a far more disciplined first half than the mess we witnessed in Istanbul, and it changed the feel of the afternoon entirely.
The timing of Alisson’s display felt fitting too. Only a day later he spoke openly about his future, making clear that his wish is to remain on Merseyside and that his family are settled here, with his representatives now in discussions with the club over an extension. On this evidence, getting that done should be close to the top of the to-do list.
“It depends on a lot of aspects and different situations. But my will is to stay. I’m happy here, my family is happy here.”
Alisson Becker has revealed his agent is in talks with Liverpool over his future – with the goalkeeper keen to extend his contract.https://t.co/wNY9D6tmpI
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) November 9, 2026
Wirtz and Barcola Took the Game Away
Whatever Iraola said at half time, it worked. Liverpool came out with a bit more swagger and, nine minutes after the restart, the lead was doubled. Bradley Barcola slid the ball into Florian Wirtz, and the German picked his spot with the calm of a player who knows exactly where the net is.
We have been saying for a few weeks now that Wirtz is growing into this system, and the numbers are starting to back it up. He covered more ground than anyone else on the pitch, completed more dribbles than anyone else, and still found the energy to add an assist to his goal. His habit of drifting into the pockets between Palace’s midfield and defence caused them problems all afternoon.
🇩🇪 Florian Wirtz covered the most distances (12.4km) and completed the most dribbles (2) on the pitch today.
All while getting a goal and an assist.
He’s averaging 0.87 goal contributions per 90 minutes in his last 8 matches. pic.twitter.com/DbDMWbwari
— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) November 8, 2026
Barcola deserves a share of the spotlight as well. His constant willingness to run at his full back stretched Palace and opened the space that Wirtz exploited. Iraola turned to his bench on 68 minutes, sending on Trey Nyoni and Víctor Muñoz, and those fresh legs kept Liverpool dangerous on the break when the hosts pushed bodies forward.
The third goal arrived a minute from the end of normal time, Alexander Isak finishing off a late move to put the result beyond doubt. For a striker who cost £125m and has had his critics this season, it was a welcome moment. What he needs now is a run of these, because confidence in a number nine tends to snowball once it gets going.
The Bits That Still Need Work
Here is the part that will nag at Iraola. Deep into stoppage time, Eddie Nketiah stepped up and converted a penalty, robbing us of a clean sheet that the defence, and Alisson in particular, had more than earned. There was nothing the keeper could do about the spot kick, but conceding it in the 95th minute of a game already won is the sort of lapse that has hurt this side before.
More broadly, we still invite too much pressure. Palace edged possession and created plenty, and on another day those chances fall to someone more clinical. Liverpool also committed eighteen fouls, which hints at a team still chasing the game at times rather than controlling it. Those are the details that separate a decent side from a genuine contender.
That said, there was plenty to like at the back. Jérémy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk looked far more composed as a partnership, and the overall shape held together much better than it had in the previous two outings.
Our Take: A Platform, Not a Destination
Strip it all back and this was the reply the dressing room needed to give. After two bruising results, the players showed more intensity, sharper concentration and a togetherness that had been missing. Liverpool matched Palace in the key attacking metrics and, crucially, were the ones who made their chances count.
Nobody should get carried away. Iraola’s ideas are still bedding in, and there will be more bumpy afternoons before this system looks fully formed. But wins like this are what you build on. Three goals, three points and a group that looks like it still believes in what it is being asked to do. We will take that.
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