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Christian Benteke's goal was his first in 2016

A stoppage-time penalty by Christian Benteke gave 10-man Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Benteke went down following a challenge by Damien Delaney and got up to coolly score the spot-kick.

Palace had led through Joe Ledley's 48th-minute finish and Liverpool's James Milner was sent off for a second yellow card on 62 minutes.

A calamitous slip by Palace keeper Alex McCarthy gifted Liverpool their equaliser, scored by Roberto Firmino.

The defeat leaves Alan Pardew's men without a win in 12 Premier League matches.

Penalty decision tough to take - Alan Pardew

Penalty drama at the end

The penalty was a sensational end to the match, with Palace boss Pardew hurling his coat to the ground in frustration.

Delaney's knee touched Benteke's ankle and referee Andre Marriner, guided by a well-placed assistant official, awarded the match-winning spot-kick.

It gave McCarthy the chance to become a hero after his earlier mistake, but Benteke stepped up to end 715 goalless minutes in all competitions.

Costly blunder by keeper

Palace, the only team without a Premier League victory in 2016, were on target to win after Ledley netted as the ball ping-ponged around the box following a corner.

But the error by the recalled McCarthy changed all that.

The 26-year-old keeper, back in the Palace side for the first time since September with Wayne Hennessey injured, slid in attempting what seemed a straightforward clearance.

But he kicked the ball straight to Roberto Firmino, who accepted the gift by making it 1-1 in the 72nd minute.

Jurgen Klopp praises Liverpool's passion

Liverpool's 10 men on top

The win means Liverpool are now up to seventh in the table and just six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

And they did it by dominating the match after going down to 10 men.

They were losing at that stage and it looked like another case of Liverpool's inconsistency after their superb 3-0 midweek win over Manchester City.

The stats show they earned it as, despite losing Milner, Liverpool ran further as a team than Palace over the 90 minutes, clocking a collective 113km to their hosts' 111km.

Man of the match - Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

Adam Lallana ran further than anyone on the pitch and had a passing accuracy of 92%

The stats you need to know

Palace have gone 12 Premier League matches without a win (D4 L8), the current longest winless run in the top-flight.

Roberto Firmino (11) has scored or assisted more Premier League goals in 2016 than any other player (7 goals, 4 assists).

James Milner was sent off in a Premier League game for only the second time in his career (first v WBA in Oct 2012).

No Premier League side has scored more goals from corners this season than Crystal Palace (10) - level with Spurs.

Christian Benteke ended a run of 715 minutes in all competitions without a goal for Liverpool.

What's next?

Spirits will be high in the Liverpool camp as they host Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday. Their next Premier League match is away to Southampton on Sunday, 20 March.

Crystal Palace's sights now turn to their first FA Cup quarter-final final for 21 years. On Friday, they are away to Reading, the only non-Premier League club left in the competition.