Liverpool moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League as Diogo Jota’s early strike proved enough for a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
The Portuguese striker opened the scoring inside nine minutes, pushing away Cody Gakpo’s cross, and the scoreboard was untroubled again, with Liverpool extending their advantage over title rivals Arsenal and Manchester Liverpool at least for a few hours .
Eddie Nketiah had a goal disallowed for offside after 22 seconds, but otherwise it was an incredibly passive first half from Palace, who barely left their own half and would have been grateful to have only one goal in advance.
Jota had two big chances to double the lead and Mohamed Salah was denied by Dean Henderson after the break, before the introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta signaled a more focused display from the hosts.
Eddie Nketiah and Eberechi Eze both had their efforts saved, with the latter pushed aside by Liverpool goalkeeper Vítezslav Jaros after Alisson Becker was sent off with just over ten minutes remaining.
Arne Slot’s side came under some pressure but held on to maintain their perfect away record this season and claim nine wins from ten in all competitions under the Dutchman’s leadership.
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