Liverpool rout bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace 1-3 with goals from Mac Allister, Wirtz and Isak

Liverpool walked away from Selhurst Park with a clear-cut win, though Crystal Palace added a late twist with a penalty converted in stoppage time. The final score was 1-3, with goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak for the visitors, and a consolation from Eddie Nketiah once the match was already decided.

The first half was even in terms of chances, with Yeremy Pino rattling the crossbar and testing the opposing goalkeeper on several occasions, but it was Liverpool who found the breakthrough right before the break. In the 39th minute, after a free kick taken by Dominik Szoboszlai that ended up as a cross into the box, Mac Allister rose from the center of the area to head home the 0-1. That slim lead held until halftime, after the fourth official added three minutes that did not change the scoreline.

The second half blows the game open

The start of the second half proved devastating for Crystal Palace's hopes. Just three minutes into the half, in the 53rd minute, Bradley Barcola whipped in a cross that Florian Wirtz steered home with his right foot, low and inside the left post, for the 0-2. The goal snuffed out any hope of a home response just as Crystal Palace began to look for openings through the introductions of Dario Osorio and, later, Eddie Nketiah.

Liverpool managed the lead comfortably until the closing stretch, when they sealed it on the counterattack: Wirtz set up Alexander Isak, who finished with his right foot from the center of the box to make it 0-3 in the 88th minute. Deep into stoppage time, with the match already decided, Milos Kerkez brought down Dario Osorio for a penalty that Nketiah converted in the 94th minute to make the final score 1-3, a goal that dressed up the scoreline but did not change the story of the match.

What the numbers say

The stats point to a more even contest than the final score suggests. Crystal Palace had more possession, while Liverpool edged them slightly in shots and corners, on an afternoon when both penalty areas saw more traffic than usual.

In expected goals calculated after the fact from the match's shots, Crystal Palace generated 3.199 and Liverpool 3.266, nearly identical figures that confirm the home side had enough going forward to make this a far tighter match than the final score ended up showing.

Our pre-match preview gave Liverpool a 43% chance of winning, Crystal Palace 30%, and a draw 27%, with expected goals of 1.35 for Crystal Palace and 1.67 for Liverpool. The result fell in line with the edge we gave Liverpool, though the final margin ended up wider than those numbers suggested.

What the result means in the standings

In the Premier League table, Liverpool sit in fourth place with 18 points from 10 matches played (5 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses), while Crystal Palace are rooted to the bottom in 20th place with 7 points from 10 matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 7 losses) and a goal difference of -14. The gap between the two sides stood at 11 points before this match, and the away win only reinforces where both clubs stand in the season so far.