24 years after the last track Liverpool has little chance at the championship. For newly promoted Crystal Palace, the “Reds” gave her a 3-0 lead and played only draw.

The Liverpool FC has a chance at his first football championship in England for 24 years, probably almost playful. The “Reds” on Monday evening gave a 3-0 lead at promoted Crystal Palace still out of hand and had to settle for a 3-3 (1-0).

Brendan Rodgers’ side, coasting to a comfortable victory with a little more than 10 minutes remaining, folded like a pack of cards to allow Crystal Palace to claim a remarkable draw and render a new twist in this remarkable season.

The initiative now lies with Manchester City. A draw did at least allow Rodgers’ side to clamber back to the summit of the Premier League, though they departed here fearing they must surely enjoy the view while it lasts.

For that they have only themselves to blame. This was like Istanbul, but in reverse. Goals from Joe Allen, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez had given the visitors a yawning 3-0 advantage after 54 minutes, but Damien Delaney’s deflected strike from distance saw panic stations set in and from there substitute Dwight Gayle scored twice.

The drama merely summed up Liverpool’s challenge. They stand on 99 goals for the campaign, but it is the defensive deficiencies that will ultimately be held responsible for undermining their challenge.

There were nine good reasons as to why Liverpool still believed there could be one more twist as the goal-scoring roll call of Nicol, McMahon, Rush, Gillespie, Beardsley, Aldridge, Barnes, Hysen and Nicol again illustrated. If ever the visitors wanted history to repeat itself it was now, given a re-run of the famous 9-0 victory over Palace back in 1989 would have wiped out City’s advantage on goal difference in a stroke. Some hope.

And yet the referencing of that mismatch in the build-up here underlined that, while they needed to win first and foremost, they also needed to win well if they were to really leave City twitchy.

It was little surprise to see Liverpool dominate the opening skirmishes, more so that the rat-a-tat-tat of chances came not through Palace’s defence being sliced open by slick passing moves, but unhinged in aerial duels.

Mamadou Sakho was guilty of an awful early miss when Steven Gerrard’s corner found him unmarked, but the France defender headed down and three yards wide when well placed.

Then Allen’s diagonal ball perfectly picked out Glen Johnson’s rampaging run from wide on the right to a central position, only for the full-back’s header to sail over Julian Speroni, who was in No Man’s Land and also over the crossbar.

Yet those warnings were not heeded and Liverpool persevered to make it third time lucky and finally conjure the breakthrough. There was a sleight of hand to the goal as Lucas tugged at Joe Ledley as he tried to follow Allen’s run from the front post to the back and the contact was enough to waylay the Palace midfielder.

Gerrard’s corner found Allen and he nodded beyond Speroni to claim his first league goal for the club and plunder the first scored from a set-piece against the hosts since Tony Pulis took over in November.

That statistic, in itself, highlights the turnaround Pulis has overseen and it was little wonder the Palace fans sang themselves hoarse from start to finish, revelling in having secured their top-flight status with games to spare.

The next phase of his mission will be coax more goals in a team that had managed a miserly 28 at kick-off and whose best efforts here arrived from distance early on. Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet produced a smart stop low down to deny Jason Puncheon and then an even better one in tipping over Mile Jedinak’s swerving piledriver.

Suarez, newly-crowned FWA Player of the Year to add to his PFA award, had appeared unwell in the warm-up, requiring a tablet off the doctor and could not capitalise on the opportunities that fell to him.

He was leaning back when he skied a cut back from Raheem Sterling, who had bamboozled Delaney and then was denied by Speroni with an ambitious attempt to sneak a shot in at the near post.

Chances kept coming and continued to be spurned until Sturridge and Suarez did what they do best with a goal each in as many minutes. Each will argue they deserved that little bit of luck.

Sturridge saw a shot pushed on to the post which his partner blazed over. They were not to be denied. Sturridge danced across the edge of the area and found the corner with an effort that clipped Delaney’s heel before Suarez swapped passes with Sterling and finished neatly.

But then Palace suddenly came alive and by the end Suarez was left weeping on the pitch as the full-time whistle blew.

For Manchester City, the team of coach Brendan Rodgers ousted before his last season game, although again from square one table, but has only one point ahead of the pursuers. The “Citizens” have but have a game in. Even the third-placed Chelsea FC has theoretically two points behind Liverpool have the possibility to win the title.

For Liverpool fired Joe Allen (18th minute), Daniel Sturridge (53) and top scorer Luis Suarez (55) a seemingly reassuring edge in Selhurst Park now. But then the guests lost control and conceding in the final stage, the goal by Damien Delaney (79) and Dwight Gayle (81./88.).

Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Match Stats

CRYSTAL PALACE Speroni 6; Mariappa 6, Delaney 7, Dann 6.5, Ward 6.5; Jedinak 5.5, Dikgacoi 5; Bolasie 7, Ledley 6, Puncheon 5 (Gayle 65, 7); Chamakh 5 (Murray 71, 6).

Booked: Dann, Mariappa.

Goals: Delaney 79, Gayle 81, 88

Manager: Tony Pulis 7.

LIVERPOOL Mignolet 6; Johnson 6, Skrtel 5.5, Sakho 5.5, Flanagan 6; Gerrard 6, Allen 7, Lucas 5.5; Sterling 7 (Coutinho 78, 6), Suarez 8, Sturridge 7.

Booked: Allen, Suarez, Skrtel.

Goals: Allen 18, Sturridge 53, Suarez 55

Manager: Brendan Rodgers 6.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg 7.

Crystal Palace 3 Liverpool 3 Match Video

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English Premier League Match Week 37 Results

Saturday, 3 May

West Ham 2 Tottenham 0

Man United 0 Sunderland 1

Stoke City 4 Fulham 1

Swansea City 0 Southampton 1

Aston Villa 3 Hull City 1

Newcastle 3 Cardiff City 0

Everton 2 Man City 3

Sunday, 4 May

Arsenal 1 West Brom 0

Chelsea 0 Norwich City 0

Monday, 5 May

Crystal Palace 3 Liverpool 3

Tuesday, 6 May

Man United 19:45 Hull City

Barclays Premier League Match Week 37 Table

 

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