Dejan Lovren gifted James McArthur an equalizer for Crystal Palace, before scoring himself minutes later.
Liverpool have had a tough time playing away at Crystal Palace in recent seasons, but the Reds got off to an excellent start today. The Reds dominated possession early on and took a deserved lead through Emre Can. Philippe Coutinho played Alberto Moreno into space down the left wing, before the Spanish left-back cut the ball back to Can.
Then, as Liverpool started to search for a second, center-back Dejan Lovren offered Palace a route back into the game. Lovren sliced a routine clearance straight into the path of Jame McArthur, who finished easily past Loris Karius. The goal was the result of exactly the sort of boneheaded defensive mistake that has haunted the Reds for much of the past few seasons.
It didn’t take long, however, for Lovren to make up for his mistake with a goal at the other end. Coutinho played in a corner to the back post, where Lovren rose above Scott Dann to restore the lead he threw away minutes earlier.
The Reds are hoping to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table. A win will see them move onto 23 points, the same number as the Gunners and the Citizens. To take the outright lead, the Reds will need to win by six goals, which would seem a more likely possibility if they didn’t keep making absurd defensive mistakes.
Crystal Palace have slipped into the bottom half of the table over the past couple of weeks. They’re still comfortably out of the relegation fight, but they’ll be hoping to make a push for a Europa League spot as the season progresses. Christian Benteke has struggled so far against his old club, but with Lovren around, there’s always hope.