Zonal Marking III – Liverpool F.C. v Crystal Palace F.C.

Along with Leicester City away from home on boxing day, Liverpool’s game against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night was debatably the most complete performance of their entire season and one of the best performances that we have seen from the Reds since Jurgen Klopp joined the club in 2015.

Defence

Like the rest of the starting 11, Klopp chose his strongest back four to start the game against Palace with Andrew Robertson returning at left back alongside Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez in the centre and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right.

For me, this was one of the best performances we have seen from Andy Robertson in a Liverpool shirt. The Scotsman became an unstoppable, attacking presence for the Reds as he pushed further up the field for Liverpool without unnecessarily putting his team at risk. Him and Trent kept the Palace defence spread apart from one another which made them vulnerable for Liverpool’s front three to attack. Trent also had a fantastic game, and his pinpoint free kick on the 21st minute of the game might have been his best goal for the Reds so far.

Like Henderson and Fabinho in the midfield, van Dijk made a number of sublime passes from the back of the pitch which frequently caught Palace off guard and prevented Roy Hodgson’s men from comfortably sitting deep and playing the game defensively like Everton had done a few days before. In goal, Alisson Becker had practically nothing to do, with Palace getting just three shots away at Anfield – none of them being on target.

Neco Williams, one of Liverpool’s most promising youngsters, replaced Trent in the closing minutes of the game and had a striking impact right away – even managing a shot on goal before the final whistle. Meanwhile, Harvey Elliot replaced Andrew Robertson in the second half, and whilst he might not have had as big of an impact for the Reds, it was nice to see him get some more Premier League game time under his belt.

Score: 10

Midfield

With van Dijk leading the defence, Jordan Henderson commanded Liverpool’s midfield and this was a vintage Liverpool performance from the start of the game right until the end.

As the manager said in his post-match press conference, this was some of the best counter pressing football that a team can produce, and Henderson was at the heart of it all once again. Him and Gini Wijnaldum both scuffed their shots early on before Hendo hit the post with a strike which whipped through the oppositions defence later on, but their tackles and interceptions allowed Liverpool to be ruthless.

It would have been nice to see to Naby Keita start another game for the Reds after his bright performance against Everton last Sunday, but Fabinho was back in form on Wednesday night for probably his first time since he picked up an ankle injury in November. The 26 year old grabbed himself an assist for Salah’s goal in the first half before shooting an unforgettable strike some 40 yards out into the goal as the reds attacked the kop end in the second half which had been decorated in banners and flags in absence of the supporters – all of them celebrating Liverpool’s history, success, and culture.

Score: 10

Attack

After Mo Salah’s absence from Liverpool’s return to Premier League football against Everton, he did make an appearance in Liverpool’s starting 11 this week alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

The Reds were rewarded for their first half dominance with a clinical finish by Mo to make the game 2-0. Throughout the game, Salah’s tidy footwork and penetrating runs inside of Palace’s box presented Roy Hodgon’s men with all kind of problems whilst Mané did the same on the opposite side of the pitch. When he broke free past Palace’s defence in the second half of the game and got the ball onto his trusty right foot, it seemed inevitable that he would score to put the Reds 4-0 up.

Firmino was one of the only individuals on the pitch who had a poor performance on the night. The Brazilian just cant get much behind his shots at the moment, and he made a couple of clumsy passes in the first half. Minamino replaced him in the closing minutes of the game and was unable to do anything noticeable for the Reds, but like Harvey Elliot and Neco Williams, it was nice to see him get some more game time.

Score: 9

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @MatthLFC