Three goals in the final
eleven minutes of the season at Selhurst Park potentially destroyed Liverpool’s
title challenge as they blew a comfortable 0 – 3 lead in a match they needed to
win. In a pulsating atmosphere under the lights at Selhurst Park on an early
summers evening the ground was jumping and the Palace faithful were ready to
celebrate one of the most successful seasons in their clubs’ history. The
players emerged to a cacophony of noise, banners and a ticker tape display at
the Holmesdale Road End as Palace songs of celebration filled the Selhurst air.
Despite the atmosphere of
celebration in the air and a relatively even start, it was Liverpool who took
the lead when Joe Allen peeled away from Joe Ledley at a corner to score at the
back post. Allen was not picked up, it was poor marking that allowed Allen to
meet Gerrard’s corner planting a header past Speroni into the bottom corner.
Palace pushed on and despite Liverpool claiming a penalty when Bolasie
challenged Johnson, Simon Mignolet was forced into action to make excellent
saves from Jason Puncheon and Mile Jedinak just before halftime.
In the second half and
needing to win Liverpool charged out of the blocks and seemingly had control of
the game. Sturridge was superbly denied by Speroni when he tipped his shot onto
the post only for Suarez to wildly slice wide the rebound in front of an open
goal. Liverpool did make it 0 – 2 when a Sturridge shot deflected off a
defender to trickle agonisingly out of Speroni’s reach and into the net. The
game seemed over with more goals possible on fifty five minutes when Suarez
netted Liverpool out of sight to make it 0 – 3 with his thirty first goal of
the season.
The match changed with eleven
minutes remaining when a Damian Delaney pile driver took a deflection to find
its way into the top corner to make it 1 – 3. Substitute Dwight Gayle then took
advantage of sudden Liverpool uncertainty as Bolasie surged down the wing
roared on by a raucous and vivacious Palace crowd. When he found Gayle with a
neat cut back his cool finish was greeted by jubilation in the crowd as the
deficit was cut to 2 – 3.
Two minutes later Selhurst
was sent into raptures. Liverpool had thrown away a three goal lead to
seriously dent their title hopes! Substitute Glenn Murray combined perfectly
with Gayle he chested the ball into his path allowing Gayle to comprehensively
blast the ball home past Mignolet to make it 3 – 3 and leave the home fans
delighted and Liverpool fans comprehending the end of their title challenge. At
the end of the game the Palace sides’ achievement was celebrated during a deserved
lap of honour. Yet with Speroni throwing his gloves to the fanatics with no new
contract signed, and Pulis’s managerial stock never being higher it could be a
summer of uncertainty as a result of great success in SE25 before the next
Premier League campaign of 2014/15.
The season ends next Sunday with
a trip to relegated Fulham. Crystal Palace’s season awards night takes place on
Tuesday evening and whilst revenge maybe on the cards for Fulham’s 1 – 4 victory
at Selhurst in early November that saw an end to Ian Holloway’s tenure, it will
be interesting to see who takes home the Player of the Year gong out of Speroni,
Ward, Delaney, Puncheon, Jedinak, and Chemakh. Although all are worthy of the
gong, for sentimental reasons alone in case he is not at Palace next season I
hope Jules wins it!
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