After an exciting match on Saturday, Liverpool came back from behind to defeat 10-man Crystal Palace 2-1 and take the lead in the Premier League standings. Mohamed Salah scored his 200th goal for the club, and Harvey Elliott added the winning goal in stoppage time.
Liverpool leads the standings with 37 points, one more than Arsenal, who play Aston Villa later on Saturday. The match was centered around the dismissal of Eagles forward Jordan Ayew for a second yellow card in the 75th minute for a seemingly insignificant infraction.
Throughout the match, referee Andrew Madley was right in the thick of things, giving the home team eight yellow cards and refusing them a penalty in the first half after being summoned to the sidelines for a video assistant review.
After a protracted video review, it was determined that Liverpool center-back Jarell Quansah had fouled Jean-Philippe Mateta. Mateta scored from the penalty spot to give Palace the lead in the 57th minute.
Up until Ayew’s second booking and dismissal in the 75th minute following a seemingly innocuous challenge, Liverpool had not managed a single shot on goal and were having difficulty creating opportunities. Ayew had been booked for failing to back down from a free kick on the hour mark.
With Liverpool’s first shot on goal of the match, Salah scored his 150th Premier League goal just over a minute after Mateta’s penalty was called back.
Liverpool kept pushing forward knowing that a victory would put them atop the league, and their perseverance paid off when substitute Elliott scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time in the second half, much to the delight of the visiting supporters.
“When we win the game and I score a goal, it is a great feeling,” a beaming Salah told broadcaster TNT. “It was tough today.” “I’m happy for the record, I’m also pleased for the team to win the game.”
With Alexis Mac Allister and Joel Matip out due to ACL injuries, among other injuries, Liverpool called upon goalkeeper Alisson, who made a fantastic comeback to play as the Reds displayed their championship credentials.
“The season still has a lot left, but we’re headed in the right direction. “Let’s go for it if we’re contenders at the end of the season and make sure we keep getting the three points,” said Elliott, the team’s top scorer.
“The aim is to claim the Premier League,” he stated.