Match Report: Bolasie Bosses Beleaguered & Lacklustre Liverpool Defence

It was yet another miserable day at Selhurst Park for Rodgers’ Liverpool. Two goals in the last quarter of the match for Palace left an eerie resemblance to the corresponding fixure last season, in which Liverpool threw away a 3-goal lead, ultimately derailing their title challenge. Amidst reports of a potential sacking, Neil Warnock silenced the critics as his team provided an inspired performance, convincingly dismissing a lacklustre Liverpool side 3-1.

It was the same personnel who caused the Reds all sort of problems again. Yannick Bolasie terrorised the Liverpool defence throughout the match with his blistering pace & agility, just days after helping DR Congo qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. Warnock revealed he had contemplated whether the ‘old fashioned’ winger should be included in the line up, as the distance he'd travelled may well have taken its toll. Those doubts were soon to be dismissed, as the winger’s inclusion paid dividends, being heavily involved in two crucial goals for the Eagles, earning him a WhoScored.com rating of 8.46.

Despite the South London club’s usual pre-match rituals used to rouse the home crowd it was Liverpool who made a lightning start in the heavy rain. Rickie Lambert finished expertly, linking up with former Southampton teammate Adam Lallana, who played a delightful chipped pass into the path of the towering striker. However, the Liverpool born striker's joy of scoring his first league goal for his boyhood club would prove to be short-lived, as the home side levelled just 15 minutes later. Dwight Gayle was first to react Yannick Bolasie's thunderous shot, which rebounded of the post for the striker to finish past Simon Mignolet and register his 4th goal in 3 appearances against the Reds.

The equalising goal should have sparked a response from the Champions League side, who scored 101 goals last season, but their lack of cutting edge in the final third was once again highlighted just days after Daniel Sturridge’s reoccurring injury problems struck again in midweek, ruling him out of what was supposedly marked as a comeback game. Liverpool managed just 1 shot on target for the 2nd time this season and have only managed 8 in their last 3 league matches. Even with the majority of possession (58%), Liverpool probed Palace’s defence to no avail and left themselves vulnerable to the counter, which suited Warnock’s game plan and the pace of Palace’s attack.

Bolasie was the main outlet for Palace. Shortly after the first goal he fired a shot towards the far post across the greasy surface forcing Mignolet into action again, palming it away for a corner. Rickie Lambert came close again but failed to direct his header towards goal before another swift counter-attacking move saw Bolasie play a lovely one-two with Jason Puncheon only to see his shot deflected over the bar.

The second half followed a similar patten. Although Liverpool were largely on top they failed to make their spell of pressure count despite looking the more likely to score after the restart. Indeed, it wasn't to be, as in the 78th minute Mignolet bizzarely kicked the ball out of play from a free kick. The resulting throw in was fed in to Bolasie, who easily outwitted Lovren to play in Joe Ledley to finish comfortably. The final nail in the coffin came 3 minutes later as Skrtel tussled with Gayle and was perhaps harshly punished as Palace were awarded a free kick just outside the box. Captain Jedinak stepped forward, placing it perfectly in the top corner and out of reach of the keeper to secure the win.

The win for Palace drags them out of the relegation zone, whilst leaving Liverpool further afar from a top 4 spot. With Rodgers taking the blame for the defeat, it’s now up to him to find a solution quickly, shoring up the defence and reinstilling a confidence into his side which is seemingly stuck in transition.

How do you think Palace will cope without Bolasie during the African Cup of Nations? Let us know in the comments below