Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace: Player Ratings, Premier League 2017-18

Crystal Palace

Wayne Hennessey – 8

Had it not been for Wayne Hennessey’s brilliant efforts in the 2nd half, Crystal Palace could have lost the game by a bigger margin. While there was very little that he could have done about the Liverpool game, the Welsh international did well to subsequently deny the likes of Mane and Solanki in the later stages to ensure that his side remained in the game until the final whistle had been blown.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah – 6

The Manchester United loanee did his fair share of defensive duties to ensure that the Liverpool attack was kept at bay for large durations of the game as he constantly broke up the Reds’ rhythm with intelligent interceptions and clearances. However, he failed to properly react appropriately midway through the 2nd half and that provided Mane with an opportunity he did not miss to put the Reds ahead.

The young centre-back should take a lot of heart from his decent performance and given his ability, this season could prove pivotal to his development as a footballer, especially with Palace being in constant trouble.

Joel Ward – 5

It was not a great evening to reflect upon for Ward. He was largely confined to his own half and more often than failed to deal appropriately with the threat of Robertson, who was given a free reign down the right-flank.

James Tomkins – 6

Tomkins came very close to opening the scoring for visitors early in the first half after beating Firmino to the ball from a corner but failed to hit the target narrowly. He was thereafter restricted to his defensive duties with Liverpool pressing for a goal. He did well to keep the Reds away from scoring for the large durations of the game, there was very little that he could have done when the game entered the final stages and was largely saved by the heroics of his goal keeper.

Scott Dann – 6

The Liverpool born defender frustrated the Liverpool attack with a mix of vital interceptions, clearances and blocks throughout the first 70 minutes of the game. However, he was at fault for Liverpool’s only goal of the evening as he failed to close down on Mane in time thus gifting the Senegalese striker an opportunity to hand the hosts their first home win of the season.

Dann is the leader of this Eagles defence and will need to ensure that the positives from this game can be improved upon and the negatives cancelled out to ensure that his side does not find themselves in a precarious position in the League table.

Luka Milivojevic – 6

The Liverpool midfield failed to turn up for the game and it was largely due to the Serbian as he put in a tireless performance in the centre of the park. His evening ended on a sour note though as he failed to control a regular ball around the box, thus creating panic in the Palace defence and gifting Mane the goal.

Crystal Palace v FC Schalke 04 - Pre Season Friendly — Chelsea would be pleased with Loftus-Cheek's development at Crystal Palace

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7

Loftus-Cheek was amongst the better Palace players on the evening. He was tireless, constantly beat his man with power and pace and did well to threaten the Liverpool defense time and again and looked more promising than the English duo of Milner and Henderson. He did well to get in behind Klavan in the 2nd half to set up an easy finish for an onrushing Benteke, only for the Belgian to fluff his lines.

The youngster should take a lot of heart from his performances and we believe extended Premier League game time could prove extremely beneficial to his career. His parent club Chelsea will be hoping that he continues to build upon his strengths going forward as Loftus-Cheek has shown the capabilities of being a midfielder to reckon with.

Jason Puncheon – 5

To be honest, this was amongst one of the most subdued performances by Puncheon we have seen in the recent times. While he did try often to get on the ball and make things happen for the visitors, the Liverpool defence was able to deal appropriately with his threat. Puncheon remains critical to Palace’s chances of avoiding a relegation battle and will need to up the ante in the games to come.

Andros Townsend – 4

The English attacker was kept under the wraps by the Liverpool defence and failed to threaten the often susceptible Reds’ backline. With Palace faltering yet again at the start of the season, Townsend will be the key to reviving their fortunes.

Christian Benteke – 4

The former Liverpool man missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the 2nd half to put his side ahead when the scores were still level after some great work down the right flank from Loftus-Cheek. He had endured a tough evening with Matip dominating their aerial duels and Palace’s lack of any real service but when the opportunity arrived, he failed to take his chance. His lack of goals (He has scored only 4 goals in the last 10 League games for the Eagles) is now beginning to frustrate the Palace faithful.