Crystal Palace vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Diogo Jota secures testing win

Ryan Gravenberch has spoken about Liverpool’s start to the season and how he is fitting into his new midfield role. He said:

“I know Dom [Szoboszlai] and Alexis [Mac Allister] really well. If you play often with them, you know the quality of them and then - I don’t know the word for it - but when Mac Allister goes higher, I have to come on, so we know from each other what the other guys are going to do. We know everything from each other [and] also now we play a lot of games together.

“I think a player always wants to play every game. Obviously the last two seasons at Bayern [Munich] I didn’t play that much [and] last season I played more. This season I get a lot of minutes, so the confidence is really back and I think it shows. I think the games in September went really well and when you’re getting minutes the confidence comes back.

“It came quite naturally. When I first spoke with the coach he said to me, ‘I see you as a No.8 like last season, but I want to try you as a No.6 as well.’ So, I was like, ‘OK, yeah, we can do it!’ I said to him, ‘Of course, we can do it!’ and the rest is history.”

Crystal Palace are still seeking their first Premier League victory this season, having drawn three and lost three of their opening six games.

Arne Slot has targeted transforming Liverpool’s away form as the answer to his “£10m question” after concluding their record on the road last season cost them the title.

Liverpool go to Crystal Palace on Saturday after winning all three away league matches under Slot, beating Ipswich, Manchester United and Wolves, and prevailing in their Champions League opener against AC Milan at the San Siro.

In Jurgen Klopp’s final season, Liverpool had the best home record in the Premier League as they took 48 points, one more than both champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal.

The last time Palace hosted a Liverpool side that were top of the table they were beaten 7-0 in December 2020 but the Eagles won the most recent meeting 1-0 at Anfield in April.

Liverpool have won eight of their previous nine Premier League visits to Selhurst Park, drawing the other one.

Two of Liverpool’s most influential players, Mo Salah and Ryan Gravenberch have been receiving praise from their manager in the build-up to today’s game.

Arne Slot said: “I think why players play well has first of all to do with the quality they have as players. Mo has a lot of quality, Ryan has a lot of quality.

“Actually, every player that plays here has a lot of quality. Now it’s up to us – and I say us because it’s not only me and my staff, it’s also the players – to play in the best possible way as a team and then individuals will do special things. It was an unbelievable finish from Mo [on Wednesday night] but the only reason he got the chance to finish was because Trent Alexander-Arnold made an overlapping run and that’s why it opened up on the inside.

“And if you give that space to Mo, he can score a special goal. That’s about his quality. It’s about Ryan’s quality, but the amount of times Virgil [van Dijk] or Ibou [Konate] play balls through to Ryan where Ryan can turn and play his balls towards all the good attackers we have, that makes it in my opinion a team performance, which is really good.

“Then as a result of that you see individuals playing well also.”

Oliver Glasner makes two changes to the Crystal Palace side that lost to Everton last time out. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daichi Kamada are dropped with Trevoh Chalobah and Ismaila Sarr brought into the line-up.

For Liverpool, Arne Slot makes a bunch of changes to the team that faced Bologna in the week. Andy Robertson is replaced with Kostas Tsimikas while Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are taken out in favour of Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Munoz, Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix, Mitchell; Lerma, Wharton; Eze, Sarr, Nketiah

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Jota, Gakpo

The Liverpool boss was asked how he feels about upcoming matches against the likes of Arsenal after the international break but reitered his team’s focus about tackling each game as it comes.

Speaking ahead of today’s fixture Slot said: “You always look at the first one and that’s Crystal Palace. I think they already showed how tough of an opponent they are against the big teams, like [Manchester] United and Chelsea.

“In both situations they got a result. That’s the first game and that’s why it’s the most important one, and a difficult one for us: 12.30 kick-off after playing on Wednesday evening late in the Champions League, facing again a team that has a whole week to prepare.

“But that is part of working at a top club, that we face those teams and we have to be ready for those teams. And that’s what we are tomorrow.

“I don’t look at this moment about one point, three points, four points; it’s after the weekend then it’s interesting to look at the league table and not after the game we’ve played.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has praised the improvement of Ryan Gravenberch during the current campaign, but highlighted the next challenge for his compatriot: to maintain consistency after his best run of form in several seasons.

The Dutch midfielder only sporadically featured under Jurgen Klopp and before signing for the Reds at Bayern Munich.

But under Slot he is a first-choice pick in the holding midfield spot, where he has flourished this term thanks to improved defensive efforts and some big showings of pace and power.