Premier League 2013/14 Week 37.

5 May 2014

If Liverpool’s title hopes were dented when Steven Gerrard let Demba Ba score in front of the Kop, they were shattered when Dwight Gayle’s brace secured a point for Palace in this mid-week humdinger.

After Liverpool’s crushing 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, we look back on their previous visit to Selhurst Park, where they came away with a point but hearts broken. The Reds threw the Premier League trophy down the M62 to Manchester City.

Liverpool slipped up at home to Chelsea a few days earlier but the title still lay within their grasp. They lay level on points with City but with an inferior goal difference. If they could score enough versus Palace, they could put City under pressure ahead of their game with Aston Villa the next day.

The Palace manager at the time, Tony Pulis, had led the South Londoners to Premier League safety, after taking the reigns with the club rock-bottom of the division. He recalled his teams good form going into this one. He said: “Don’t forget we were on a good run ourselves – we had won five of our last six games – it was a great game to be involved in.”

After Joe Allen gave the visitors the lead on 17 minutes with a surprise header and Liverpool bossed an entertaining first half, Brendan Rodgers’ team looked good, secure. Soon after half time they trebled their lead through a Damian Delaney own goal, deflected from Daniel Sturridge’s shot and a trademark flowing move finished by Luiz Suarez. 3-0. Game over.

No?

Pulis’ team hadn’t read the script. Delaney fired in a 25-yard goal to amend his earlier error and made it 3-1 with ten minutes to go. No reason for Liverpool to worry. Not yet.

Rodgers later admitted his team let the occasion get the better of them, perhaps chasing a bigger margin of victory. He said: “We got two quick goals after the break and maybe the excitement and enthusiasm to try and claw back the goal difference overtook us.”

Liverpool had been typically open all game – all season. Their attacking diamond system with two strikers encouraged goals but the back four was not at all solid. And when Gayle turned in Yannick Bolasie’s cross nine minutes from time, the Premier League title contenders tensed up.

Gayle then latched onto a long ball down-field and struck a superb shot, stunning ‘keeper Simon Mignolet and silenced the travelling Liverpool support. And Rodgers looked shell-shocked when, minutes later, the final whistle blew and his team had conceded the title to City.

Liverpool stood stock still, some sunk to their knees. Suarez pulled his shirt over his face to hide his pain. Liverpool had thrown everything at Palace but their amazing open football was flawed. Pulis recalled his sympathy for Rogers after the whistle. “There was a lap of honour after the game so I didn’t see much of Brendan. I knew he would have been devastated and I did feel for my fellow manager.”

Liverpool’s title challenge last season was hugely impressive. They swept aside high-calibre teams and came very close to doing the unthinkable. But on this night in South London it all ended in tears.