Liverpool whiffed on a chance to rebound from their midweek meltdown against Real Madrid, looking dull in a scoreless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
In all honesty, Palace probably should’ve been ahead at the break and managed the draw despite no Wilfried Zaha and beginning the game with Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard on the bench.
Liverpool has still played less games than all but one of the six teams in front of it, but the Reds’ 36 points remain six points off the top four with 15 matches to play.
Palace remains in 12th with 27 points, six clear of the bottom three and four off 10th-place Chelsea.
Answers missing as Liverpool appears stuck in midweek morass
Liverpool’s actual performance in the 5-2 midweek clattering at the hands of Real Madrid — at Anfield and in the UEFA Champions League — wasn’t as bad as the score line, at least according to advanced stats, but the Reds didn’t have any sort of their standard swagger at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
And that’s natural, even if the post-match comments of neither Jurgen Klopp nor James Milner thought they saw any sort of lingering letdown from the team.
The Reds’ midfield of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Naby Keita has a collective veteran nature and was well-suited to play a “no letdowns” sort of game, but Cheick Doucoure would’ve shown Liverpool what it was missing in an all-action, nearing-his-prime midfielder.
And while injuries can’t often be an excuse for a club that’s spent as much as Liverpool, especially when Palace was missing Wilfried Zaha, the Reds could not deploy Thiago Alcantara, Darwin Nunez, and Ibrahima Konate amongst others.
That’s a big ask. Liverpool should get Nunez back soon and Arthur Melo is finally nearing a return. There’s still plenty of hope for a top-four finish, but Saturday was a big miss even given the loud, wild nature of Selhurst Park.
Then again, Real Madrid couldn’t get anywhere near its best with a draw against Atleti in the Madrid derby on Saturday. Yes, Real had to come home to Spain from Anfield, but maybe Klopp’s right about the challenges of three games in one week when your domestic league is this good.
Selhurst rocking as Palace always aimed for point
Wilfried Zaha’s absence and Liverpool’s status as a Premier League power might’ve led to Patrick Vieira opting to keep Eze and Edouard on the bench.
It looked early like Palace was happy to defend and chase a point from Moment No. 1, but Vieira clearly saw an opening in the early stages of the game.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Cheick Doucoure were super good and Michael Olise and Jeff Schlupp out wide were quite ready as well.
What might this have looked like with Eze out there for more than the final 20 minutes? We won’t know, and Vieira will not likely think much about it. This is a solid point, and holding Liverpool under 1.0 expected goals is always impressive.
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool player ratings: Stars of the Show
Alisson Becker: You would’ve bet for him to rebound from the midweek loss to Real Madrid, and he did.
Cheick Doucoure: Eight recoveries as the Palace man showed Liverpool what it’s missing in the midfield.
Albert Sambi Lokonga: Arsenal loanee will love getting one over on Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah: Still the club’s hope, especially when Darwin Nunez is unavailable.
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What’s next?
Crystal Palace gets a week to prepare for an improved Aston Villa on Saturday at Villa Park.
Liverpool hosts Wolves on Wednesday before hosting Manchester United on Sunday, March 5. Tough asks!
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Liverpool live, stream link and start time
Keeping a pair of clean sheets against the Toffees and Magpies helped to snap a four-game winless skid for Liverpool (0W-1D-3L, by an absurd margin of 9-1), only to see the Reds revert back to their porous defensive ways against the reigning European champions. Despite the disastrous nature of their 2022-23 season, Liverpool remain just seven points behind 4th-place Tottenham with two games in hand.
The middle of the PL table is as congested as it has perhaps ever been, with Crystal Palace squarely in the middle of 10 sides separated by 10 points from 11th (Aston Villa – 28 points) all the way down to 20th (Southampton – 18). The Eagles were one headed clearance away from stealing three points away to Brentford last weekend, until Vitaly Janelt headed home a corner kick with the final touch of the game, leaving manager Patrick Vieira bewildered on the touchline. It was comfortably their most competent performance in weeks, and it still wasn’t enough in the end.
Crystal Palace team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Wilfried Zaha (hamstring), Nathan Ferguson (undisclosed), Sam Johnstone (calf), James Tomkins (personal)
Tied at 0-0 from the first leg of the final in San Nicolas on Thursday, the advantage is with red-hot Chivas as their stunning recent form saw them win their final four games of the Clausura regular season to finish third in the table before beating Atlas and Club America in the playoffs.
Victor Guzman and Alexis Vega are Chivas’ main attacking threats as they will keep it tight defensively and the energy of the home crowd at Akron Stadium should be a huge help as Chivas aim to win their first Clausura title since 2017, when they also beat Tigres in the final.
Tigres finished seventh in the Clausura standings and beat Toluca and Monterrey to reach the final. The duo of Sebastian Cordova and Andre-Pierre Gignac are their main hope of winning on the road in Guadalajara and lifting the trophy.
Below is everything you need for Chivas vs Tigres, one of whom will be crowned as the Clausura champions on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund gave the Bundesliga title to heated rivals Bayern Munich on a shocking final day in the Bundesliga, a stunning collapse that left a ready-to-party Westfalenstadion in mourners’ status.
Bayern took an early lead through Kingsley Coman at Koln and Dortmund went down 2-0 in the first half versus Mainz, missing a penalty that would’ve tied the score at 1.
Dortmund entered the day with the table lead and dominated Mainz to the tune of 26-7 in shots and 3.64-0.62 in expected goals, but Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Karim Onisiwo’s goals were enough as only Giovanni Reyna’s set-up of Raphael Guerreiro got Dortmund on the board in a 2-1 loss.
Koln briefly gave hope with a penalty equalizer in the 80th minute versus Bayern, but Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal put the defending champions back in front.
Dortmund would’ve won the league by matching or bettering Bayern’s result and but Instead hand an 11th-straight Meisterschale to the Bavarians. No one has won more German top-flight titles than Bayern’s 33.
BVB remains on eight Bundesliga titles and remains one behind Nurnberg, which has not won since 1968.
MAINZ TAKE LEAD AT DORTMUND 🇩🇪 If results hold, Bayern win 11th straight German title. Bundesliga scriptwriters trying to one-up Premier League counterparts.pic.twitter.com/dXn5Ruk5If
Luton Town overcame a blown lead in regulation to earn a place in the Premier League by outlasting Coventry City in penalties during Saturday’s playoff final at Wembley Stadium.
USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath watched as Fankaty Dabo’s penalty sailed over the goal to give the Hatters a 6-5 win after 120 minutes ended 1-1 and neither team missed on 11-straight attempts from the spot.
In 2018 Luton and Coventry were both in the fourth-tier of English football. Now Luton is joining Sheffield United and Burnley in the top flight.
Jordan Clark scored Luton Town’s goal, while Gustavo Hamer leveled the line for Coventry City.
Coventry City vs Luton Town as it happened:
GOAL! Luton’s taken the first five shots of the match and now one’s found the back of the goal. It’s Jordan Clark who belts home in the 23rd minute to put the Hatters on top! Luton Town, 1-0
CHANCE! It’s Elijah Adebayo, who assisted the opener, who can’t quite get a very decent chance right, as Luton is looking to put an early vice grip on the final. Still 1-0, 30′.
Shots are up to 9-0 in favor of the Hatters but the total xG is still below 1.00. Coventry has to wake up, but maybe they’d take getting to halftime down one at this point.
The 11th shot of the game is Coventry’s, and it’s a high volley that slashed over the goal. Off-balance and improbable, but Coventry will be hopeful it’s a sign that they’re coming into the affair; Soon after, a rush is bungled but into the Luton third.
HALFTIME: Luton Town 1, Coventry City 0 — (Clark 23′)
SECOND HALF: Coventry has more of the ball and is building off its late first half, but Luton looks well-drilled into its system despite the concession of some set pieces.
Good news on a scary-looking injury for Luton star Tom Lockyer:
We are able to report that after collapsing on the pitch, Tom Lockyer has been taken to hospital for further tests.
He is responsive and talking to his family, who are with him.
GOAL! And the Sky Blues are level! It’s Brazilian-born Dutch youth international Gustavo Hamer who has it so with a solid finish, though the playmaking’s come from star performer Viktor Gyokeres. It’s all on now at Wembley! 1-1, 66′
A dangerous free kick in stoppage time for Luton after a very questionable foul, but fate makes sure this one doesn’t end with ignominy. Are we headed for penalties? Extra time is almost certain deep in stoppage.
xG is basically even after 90 minutes, as are shot attempts, and anything can happen when it comes to the 20th berth in the 2023-24 Premier League season.
END OF 90: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
INJURY! USMNT keeper Ethan Horvath is down for treatment 11 minutes into the first frame of extra time, which has otherwise been a scrappy period. Looks like he’s going to try to continue despite dropping to the pitch after a long goal kick.
END OF FIRST ET PERIOD: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
Not much happened there. Nerves? Can someone seize history in the next 15 or will we go to pens?
NO GOAL! Joe Taylor has it in the goal for Luton off a bad giveaway but VAR, not used in the regular season, spots a handball and the Hatters won’t win it here. We’re going to penalties.
END OF SECOND ET PERIOD: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
Horvath was a penalty hero for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League against Mexico, while well-traveled Ben Wilson is between the sticks for Coventry. Here we go…
X Carlton Morris goal for Luton 1-0
X Matty Godden goal for Coventry 1-1
X Taylor goal for Luton 2-1
X Viktor Gyokeres goal for Coventry 2-2
X Marvelous Nakamba goal for Luton 3-2
X Ben Sheaf goal for Coventry 3-3
X Jordan Clark goal for Luton 4-3
X Josh Eccles goal for Coventry 4-4
X Luke Berry goal for Luton 5-4
X Liam Kelly goal for Coventry 5-5
X Daniel Potts goal for Luton 6-5
X Fankaty Dabo miss for Coventry 6-5
Coventry City vs Luton Town player ratings: Stars of the Show
Luton Town boss Rob Edwards left rival club Watford in November and the risky maneuver has paid off for the coach and club. Viktor Gyokeres is the club’s 21-goal scoring hero and he’s chipped in 11 assists as well, and Gustavo Hamer has been sensational as well.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins has been with the club since 2017 and it’s been up-up-up. Carlton Morris leads the way with 20 goals, while Alfie Doughty and Tom Lockyer have been key players, too, with Lockyer scoring in three of the Hatters’ last four matches.
Championship playoff schedule, how to watch, updates
Dates: Final – Saturday, May 27 at 11:45am ET Updates: Via scoreboard on NBCSports.com How to watch: ESPN+
Can Manchester United’s new-look side keep its place in the top four? What about Newcastle? Is Tottenham going to turn things around to claim a place or will another new name, Brighton or Aston Villa, make their claim? Liverpool’s not out of this, either…
How will the new boys get on? Who will be the surprise package? Can Chelsea salvage any pride from the season? Who will stay up in the congested scrap against relegation?
Those questions will be answered from August 2022 to May 2023, with the full list of Premier League fixtures.
While below are the answers to all of the questions you have around the Premier League fixtures and everything else you need to know for the upcoming season, with full details on the Premier League TV schedule across the NBC family of channels and more.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2022-23 season were announced on Thursday June 16, 2022 at 4am ET. Below is the full schedule, as you can watch all 380 games across our NBC platforms.
The Premier League fixture computer decides who plays who and when, as teams located close to one another are usually playing at home on opposite weekends to help with policing, crowd control and transport congestion in those areas.
When did the Premier League take a break for the 2022 World Cup?
When will the 2022-23 Premier League season finish?
The final day of the season will be on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Which teams will compete in the 2022-23 Premier League?
These are the 20 teams which will compete in the Premier League for the upcoming season:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Predictions for 2022-23 Premier League season
We made a few bold predictions ahead of the Premier League campaign, which you can read in full here. And we’ve also predicted how we think the Premier League table will look at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. I’m sure you agree wholeheartedly with these predictions…
2022-23 Premier League TV schedule
Below are the Premier League fixtures in full, with all kick offs listed at 10am ET unless otherwise stated:
, 2023