Pierre Sage’s position as Crystal Palace head coach is under increasing scrutiny after Liverpool condemned the Eagles to a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat.
Palace remain bottom of the table, with only seven points from a possible 30 since Sage replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer. Liverpool, meanwhile, moved up to fourth, although they are still nine points behind leaders Arsenal.
The visitors took advantage of Palace’s failure to convert their opportunities at Selhurst Park. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 40th minute with an excellent header at the end of a well-worked free-kick routine.
Liverpool extended their advantage 14 minutes after the interval. Bradley Barcola found Florian Wirtz, who kept his finish under control to make it 2-0.
Alexander Isak had been largely subdued for most of the match, but he found space late on to seal the victory. The Sweden forward calmly scored Liverpool’s third in the 89th minute, taking his league tally for the season to seven.
Palace were awarded a late consolation when Milos Kerkez was penalised, allowing Eddie Nketiah to score from the penalty spot with the final kick of the match.
The subdued mood around Selhurst Park reflected a difficult start for the hosts, who were put on the back foot during the opening stages. However, Palace briefly raised the volume when Yeremy Pino struck the Liverpool crossbar with a close-range effort.
Liverpool enjoyed plenty of possession early on but struggled to create clear chances. Palace thought they had gone ahead when Jorgen Strand Larsen found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The home side continued to threaten and could have scored before Nketiah’s stoppage-time penalty. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was required to make six saves during the game.
The result gives Liverpool a response after their underwhelming midweek European defeat by Fenerbahce. For Crystal Palace, however, the loss extends a run that has left Sage’s future increasingly uncertain.
