London (AFP)
Liverpool strengthened its lead in the English Football League, by defeating its host Crystal Palace with a goal, in the seventh stage. Portuguese Diogo Jota scored the only goal in the ninth minute, and Liverpool raised its score to 18 points.
Dutch coach Arne Slot achieved the ninth victory in ten matches, and he became the first Liverpool coach to win eight of his first nine matches, after defeating Italy’s Bologna with two goals in the Champions League.
Slot became the fourth coach in the history of the English Premier League to win his first four matches away from home, after Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari (first 8), John Gregory (5) and Bobby Gould (4).
This is Liverpool’s 12th victory over Crystal Palace in their last 15 league matches, while Palace suffered their second consecutive loss in the league, remaining in eighteenth place with only three points.
In his 100th match, which he started as a starter with the “Reds”, Jota opened the scoring, after he received a ground cross from the Dutchman Cody Khakpo (9).
Palace suffered a second blow with the injury of Colombian Daniel Muñoz, with former Liverpool player Nathaniel Clyne participating in his place (17).
Jota missed the opportunity to increase the score when he received a ball inside the penalty area, and he shot far from the left post (35).
Senegalese Ismaila Sarr had a great opportunity, who shot to the right of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, but the latter blocked his ball brilliantly (45).
Slot strengthened the midfield by bringing in Hungarian Dominik Soboszlai at the beginning of the second half, despite the almost absolute possession in the first half.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson prevented Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah from scoring, after a close shot towards the middle of the goal (57).
Once again, Jota squandered the opportunity to strengthen, when he rose above the defenders and headed the ball that reached him from a free kick over the goal (62).
Palace’s attempts did not pose much danger to Alisson, who later went out injured, and he had suffered a previous injury this season that ruled him out of two matches (79).
Czech substitute goalkeeper Vitislav Jarosz, who played his first official minutes with Liverpool this season after returning from Austria’s Sturm Graz after a loan period, maintained his team’s lead when he caught Eberechi Eze’s shot (84).
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