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Philippe Coutinho Hitting Elite Level as Liverpool Seal Win over Crystal Palace
- Updated: October 30, 2016
Liverpool reached another landmark in their excellent start to the 2016/17 campaign by sealing a 4-2 victory away to Crystal Palace on Saturday evening, preserving their position at the top end of the Premier League table.
Efforts from Emre Can, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino were enough to secure the three points, despite defensive missteps from Lovren and left-back Alberto Moreno gifting two headed goals to Eagles midfielder James McArthur.
Moreno was the only Liverpool player to keep his place from Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup round of 16, and his inclusion was one of necessity, due to illness to key fixture James Milner.
Otherwise, Klopp’s 10 changes saw him revert to his regular starting lineup, with Loris Karius returning between the sticks, behind a back four of Moreno, Lovren, Matip and Nathaniel Clyne, while Can joined Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana in midfield, supporting forwards Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho.
It was an impressive performance that underlined Liverpool’s fortitude under manager Jurgen Klopp this season, most notably in Lovren’s response to his early error, charging up the other end to power a header past Steve Mandanda to make it 2-1 on 21 minutes.
The Reds are now 11 games unbeaten in all competitions and level on points with league leaders Manchester City and second-placed Arsenal, and Liverpool are pushing for England’s elite with their performances this season so far.
At the heart of this is Coutinho, Liverpool’s majestic No. 10 who fuelled victory in what Lallana described after the game on Instagram as “always a tough place to go,” and the Brazilian’s performance against the Eagles boosted his claim for the upper echelon of footballing talent.
Coutinho’s sensational showing at Selhurst Park enhanced his case to enter the elite bracket, and this can only be a positive for Liverpool as they continue their challenge on three fronts in 2016/17.
