Overconfident Liverpool Ruined Their Chance to Claim EPL Title
The fantastic performance of Liverpool in the season that kept Steven Gerrard's squad dream to clinch the EPL Crown had fallen in pieces after they ended the match with Crystal Palace by 3 - 3.
The match puts Liverpool one point above the Manchester City, but there is one match due for the City and they have higher chances to clinch their second having four points from the last two matches.
Liverpool coach Brendon Rodgers realised the dream was shattered.
"We're going top with 81 points with a week to go in the season and we're sat here devastated ... I'm here to fight, to win titles, and I'll be relentless in my quest ... We're trying to build something that's sustainable," Rodgers added.
It was mere overconfidence that brought the downfall of Liverpool. Rodgers further said the team somewhat felt they were the "Roy of the Rovers" and that was the actual cause of disaster.
"We maybe thought we could play 'Roy of the Rovers' football and make up the goal difference (to City) but tonight was about winning the game ... We didn't manage the game well at 3-0," Rodgers added.
Liverpool were ahead by three goals, but during the last fifteen minutes of the match, Crystal Palace made a superb comeback, putting three goals in quick succession to end the game in draw.
Liverpool has shown their positive spirit right from the start of the match and Palace equally proved them as a tight opponent.
The first goal came in 18 minutes from Joe Allen who took the right opportunity to place a smooth header from a corner kick of Gerrard.
The second goal came in the second half when Daneil Sturridge smoothly moved ahead, crossing the penalty area and nicely placed a left-footed shot, giving no chance to Julián Speroni.
The third goal came just after two minutes of the second goal when Luiz Suarez romped towards the penalty, passed it to Sterling on the left and then received a return pass to push the ball to the net. This goal marked the 31st premier league goal for the Uruguayan star, elevating his position to level with Alan Shearer and Christiano Ronaldo.
The turn of the event came in 79 minutes when centre-back Damien Delaney found himself in an advantageous position to make a long-range shot that passed smoothly to the goal.
The second shock came after two minutes when Yannick Bolasie got a clean chit to race towards the goal from near the mid-field to place a pass back to Dwight Gayle who made a lovely finish by placing the ball into the bottom-right corner of the post.
The final knock to Liverpool arrived in 88 minutes when Dwight Gayle scored his second goal in the match, leading to an equaliser.
During five minutes of stoppage time, Liverpool got some luck to push ahead but could not materialise further.
The hope to remain in the winning streak of EPL League was shattered thoroughly by the superlative performance of Crystal Palace during the second half.
Liverpool was dominant right from the start of the match and got plenty of opportunities, whereas Palace, on the other hand, equally fought against the superior team and ultimately showed their superiority to Liverpool.
This match was indeed a learning session for Liverpool.
