Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool: The Reds' Trip to Crystanbul Ends in Tears
By Tom Gott
Liverpool's hopes of winning the 2013/14 Premier League title were all but ended by none other than Crystal Palace, who came back from three goals down to snatch the unlikeliest of 3-3 draws at Selhurst Park in May 2014.
Looking to bounce back from their little 'slip-up' against Chelsea in the previous week, Liverpool knew nothing less than a win would effectively gift Manchester City the title. The Reds looked to be up for the fight as they found themselves 3-0 up after 55 minutes thanks to goals from Joe Allen, Luis Suárez and a Damien Delaney own goal, but that's when things turned sour.
Delaney atoned for his error in the 79th minute when he fired home from distance, but the fun was just beginning. Over the next nine minutes, Dwight Gayle managed to find the back of the net twice to snatch a point and leave Liverpool's title hopes in tatters.
As the players left the pitch, an inconsolable Suárez had to be held by Steven Gerrard, with both stars knowing that they had almost certainly blown their best chance to win a first title in 24 years.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Key Talking Point
Having picked up a deserved 1-0 win over Chelsea a few months before, Palace came into this game feeling as though they could go toe-to-toe with anybody. While they didn't get off to the best start, they were the ones celebrating when all was said and done.
It was a game which meant nothing to Tony Pulis' Palace, who were well clear of the relegation zone and nowhere near the battle for Europe, and it was clear early on that the motivation wasn't really there. However, sensing they could have been on the receiving end of a real thumping, the Eagles stepped things up.
Performances like this are why Palace are often seen as a bogey team for plenty of top sides. The Eagles clearly relish being the underdog, and that's often when they're at their best.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Speroni (6); Mariappa (5), Dann (6), Delaney (6), Ward (5); Dikgacoi (5), Jedinak (7); Puncheon (5), Ledley (5), Bolasie (7), Chamakh (5).
Substitutes: Gayle (8*), Murray (6), Ince (N/A).
Dwight Gayle
Gayle was only brought on to the field in the 65th minute, but it's no coincidence that Palace improved drastically following his introduction.
Combining with fellow substitute Murray, Gayle ran riot in the penalty area. He seemed to constantly be in space and was always confident enough to pull the trigger against one of the division's strongest defences.
Some credit has to be given to Pulis, whose substitutions changed the game. Gayle was the perfect man for the occasion, and he changed the course of history as a result of his fantastic performance.
LIVERPOOL
Key Talking Point
Did Liverpool even want to win this title? They did their best to throw things away against Chelsea and inexplicably collapsed against Palace, who had fallen to Manchester City just days earlier. There was no excuse.
The Reds were unlucky to concede Delaney's deflected strike, but the pressure clearly got to them after that. Liverpool forgot how to defend and gifted Palace every opportunity to score, and the Eagles were never going to pass them up.
Liverpool didn't help themselves, but it almost seemed written in the stars. Steven Gerrard's slip against Chelsea was the precursor for an even more embarrassing failure here, and the Reds have had to deal with the humiliation ever since.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Mignolet (7); Johnson (6), Škrtel (5), Sakho (5), Flanagan (6); Gerrard (7), Leiva (6), Allen (7*). Sterling (7); Suárez (7), Sturridge (7).
Substitutes: Coutinho (6), Moses (N/A).
Joe Allen
After scoring the opening goal in the 18th minute, you could tell this was going to be a good night for Joe Allen, who had scored just once before that and would only reach seven goals in all competitions before moving on in 2016.
In the heart of the pitch, the Welshman's passing was crucial to Liverpool's early dominance. With his confidence growing with each passing appearance, Allen dominated the midfield battle with intricate passing and reliable defending.
He could have added an assist early on if Glen Johnson had been able to keep his header down, but that was just one of several chances created by Allen's vision.
Things That Aged the Worst
Unfortunately, you'd have to say Gayle. Touted as the saviour of the masses and the most talked-about striker in English football, things haven't been like that for Gayle for a while now.
A big-money move to Newcastle United in 2016 saw the Englishman drop down to the Championship, and that seems to be his level these days. He has spent the 2019/20 season failing to make an impact at St James' Park and probably wishes he was back out on loan again.
As for Liverpool, this game effectively marked the end of Daniel Sturridge's top-flight career. He lost strike partner Suárez that summer and then proceeded to get bitten by the injury bug.
Ever since, Sturridge has failed to make an impact regardless of which team he has been playing for, and his chances of winning a Premier League title look to be over.
Things That Aged the Best
'Hahahaha Liverpool are never gonna win da league coz they love bottling things hahaha'.
Oh. Oh right.
Liverpool have obviously bounced back and established themselves as perhaps the finest team around. They have already won the Champions League and deserve the 2019/20 Premier League title, and they look ready to compete for trophies for years to come.
Players You Completely Forgot Existed
Kagisho Dikgacoi might have played plenty of games for Palace, but away from Selhurst Park, you'll struggle to find anyone who actually remembers his name.
Also, remember Marouane Chamakh? He left Palace in 2016, spent a few months with Cardiff City and was then without a club for three whole years before he decided to hang up his boots in 2019.
As for Liverpool, Jon Flanagan hasn't had the easiest of times since 2014. Once seen as the future of the Reds' defence, the Englishman ended up getting shipped off on a few loans before being permanently handed to Rangers in 2018.
Flanagan has been in the headlines since leaving Liverpool, but for all the wrong reasons. A once-promising career looks to be over already.
What Happened Next
Obviously, Manchester City went on to win the league by a two-point margin, and Liverpool slipped into a brief slump.
Suárez swapped Liverpool for Barcelona and watched on as his old side tumble down to sixth, but what else did the Reds expect? They swapped Suárez for Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert!
Brendan Rodgers and Raheem Sterling both left the club in 2015 and brought an end to this brief era of excitement, but it was a move which saw Jürgen Klopp brought over to the dugout soon after - and we all know how Liverpool have changed since then.
As for Palace, they're still pretty average, but now they're led by Roy Hodgson instead of Pulis. Nice one.