3 things we learned as Liverpool score late winner to beat Crystal Palace 2-1

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    Liverpool survived a scare against Crystal Palace thanks to two late strikes from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliot as Jurgen Klopp's side returned to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win.

    A Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty saw Palace take the lead in the second half, with Liverpool way off the pace against the Eagles. And had it not been for some Alisson heroics in net for Liverpool, the score could have looked much worse.

    However, the game was flipped on its head when Andre Ayew was sent off for a second yellow card, handing Liverpool a route back into the game.

    READ MORE: Alisson makes 'save of the season' against Palace as fans call Liverpool star 'superhuman'

    READ MORE: Palace awarded penalty two minutes after foul as play continues with Liverpool fans in uproar

    Then, seconds later, they had their equaliser through Salah before Elliot netted late on to secure Liverpool all three points at Selhurst Park. And here are three things Daily Star Sport learned from the pulsating contest.

    Liverpool need a top defensive midfielder

    There's no doubt about it, Liverpool missed Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister against Palace, who was taken off injured against Sheffield United in midweek. In his place, Wataru Endo started in the middle of the park for the Reds, flanked by Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.

    Try as he might, Endo was hooked at half-time, with Klopp bringing on Joe Gomez to play right-back at Trent Alexander-Arnold shifted in-field.

    But still, during the second half, Liverpool's backline was exposed on the counter by Palace, who looked a real threat up until Andre Ayew's sending off.

    While the Reds did manage to get themselves back into the contest, they need to strengthen their defensive midfield options in January, something they tried to do in the summer and failed. Mac Allister himself is not an out and out six, but his absence from Liverpool's starting XI was glaring.

    What did you make of Liverpool's clash against Crystal Palace? Let us know in the comments section below.

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    Found a way to win

    There's no doubt about it, Liverpool would have been disappointed dropping points to Crystal Palace, who have not won a Premier League game in over a month. However, given how the game looked to be headed when Mateta fired home his spot-kick past Alisson, a point from the position they were in looked better than nothing.

    A draw against Palace would have meant Liverpool would sit a point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who themselves have a tough fixture later today against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

    But then Elliot fired a sensational strike home past substitute Remi Matthews to hand the Reds all three points, and move back to the top of the table ahead of Arsenal's clash.

    With fixtures coming thick and fast over the coming weeks, it would not be a surprise to see some of the top sides slip up on more than one occasion.

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    Put the pressure back on Arsenal

    And speaking of near slip ups, Arsenal needed a late winner of their own in midweek against Luton Town. For the majority of Liverpool's clash, the Gunners would have been buoyed by the fact that should the Reds drop points, they would still be top of the table, regardless of their result against Aston Villa.

    However, those two late goals from Salah and Elliot put the ball straight back into Arsenal's court, with the Gunners now needing to return serve against Villa, who sit third in the table, knowing that they could draw within a point of Mikel Arteta's side with a win later today.

    • Jurgen Klopp
    • Liverpool FC
    • Premier League
    • Crystal Palace FC

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