Liverpool faced Crystal Palace as they tried to exorcise the demons from last season and this FA Cup game got off to the worst start for the Reds as a bit of a mix up in defence let in Frazier Campbell to score and give Palace an early lead. Liverpool were the dominant team after conceding and it was Speroni who did well to keep Palace in the lead at half-time.
The 2nd half started with Liverpool on the front foot and they brought on Balotelli to add some muscle to the front line, it paid off as Daniel Sturridge brought the teams back level with a smart finish. Balotelli won a free kick and he took it himself but it was Lallana who smashed in the rebound to give Liverpool the lead.
Liverpool held on to their lead and controlled the rest of the game to book their place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup and look a dangerous side. We present the player ratings for the Reds from another good away performance.
Simon Mignolet: 8/10
Simon Mignolet was excellent yet again, it seems all his problems are gone, apart from the goal which he conceded, and Mignolet was strong in the air, came out to collect and punch crosses and produced a few excellent saves, probably the best player on the field for Liverpool.
Emre Can: 7/10
The Tank seems to be able to do everything, after impressing in defence, Can was moved to the right wing back position where he did alright in the second half. He did however have an issue dealing with the pace of Dwight Gayle and was booked in the game but still another rock solid performance.
Martin Skrtel: 6/10
Partly to blame for the first goal, Skrtel did not have the best game for Liverpool. He gave away a few unnecessary free kicks which heaped pressure on the team for no reason.
Mamadou Sakho: 7/10
It looked like Sakho would have to be substituted in the 2nd half after a collision but he soldiered on and looked alright at the back, nothing spectacular but nothing worrying from the Frenchman.
Joe Allen: 6/10
It is hard to tell what exactly Joe Allen’s role in the Liverpool team is, the only thing he seemed to do today was recycle passes. He didn’t really shine but he didn’t put a foot wrong either.
Jordan Henderson: 6/10
Henderson was played in the middle of the park and had a pretty decent game for the Reds, the second half was controlled by the Liverpool midfield with Henderson bossing most of the play from Liverpool.
Alberto Moreno: 7/10
The Spanish wing back was impressive once again for the Reds and he was superb in defence, tracking back and helping out Sakho. The pair kept Bolasie quiet throughout the game and cut off one of Crystal Palaces attacking options.
Lazar Markovic: 5/10
A rather poor display from the Serbian, Markovic didn’t really do well and lost his footing a lot in the game. Often he picked up the ball and ran into a red and blue brick wall and was substituted at the start of the second half for Balotelli.
Adam Lallana: 7/10
Did really well to score the second goal for Liverpool after a parried save by Speroni. Lallana was good all throughout the game and linked up really well with the midfield to create a few problems for Palace.
Philippe Coutinho: 7/10
Coutinho had some good touches in the game and looked bright, his shots were saved well by Speroni but was not able to get his name onto the score sheet.
Daniel Sturridge: 7/10
Sturridge did look a little rusty and was taken off in the 78th minute but he did enough for Liverpool having scored the leveller early in the 2nd half.
Substitutes:
Mario Balotelli: 7/10
Balotelli was brought on at the start of the second half and he really made a difference, he won the free kick which led to the second goal and looked good in attack with Sturridge
Dejan Lovren: 5/10
Bought on late in the second half, Lovren looked decent at the back but didn’t really have to do much during the time he spent on the pitch.
Rickie Lambert: 6/10
Another late substitute appearance for Lambert, he did have one shot on goal which was deflected for a corner but again he did not really have much to do or time to do it.