Jota's goal takes Liverpool past Palace

Liverpool stay top of EPL with 18 points from seven games

LONDON:

Diogo Jota's early goal was enough to give Liverpool a tight 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday and ensure the Reds go into the international break top of the Premier League, though goalkeeper Alisson was forced off injured late on. The Londoners started the game sharply and had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds only for Eddie Nketiah's deft finish to be ruled offside.

Liverpool then took the lead with their first real attack in the ninth minute when Cody Gakpo ran on to Tsimikas' through ball down the left. He centred for Jota, who breezed past Palace debutant Trevor Chalobah to poke home from close range and record his fourth goal of the season in all competitions.

Liverpool stay top with 18 points from seven games and open up a four-point lead on Manchester City and Arsenal, who play later on Saturday.

"I think it's always hard to come here. The results over the years have all been very tight and close," said Liverpool's man of the match Virgil van Dijk. "We could have played a bit better in the second half. Overall, it's a big three points and we go into the international break on a high," added the defender.

Jota should have doubled his tally in the 34th minute after good work by Mohamed Salah and the impressive Ryan Gravenberch, whose ball from the right found Jota unmarked but he scuffed his effort well wide.

Liverpool enjoyed almost 75% possession in the first half but without creating many clear-cut chances and Palace almost made them pay on the stroke of half-time. Maxence Lacroix's quick pass played Ismaila Sarr in behind, but his low effort was well saved by Alisson.

The second half began quietly before the visitors began to move through the gears and Salah drew a smart block from Palace keeper Dean Henderson after cushioning down a wonderful pass from van Dijk.

Jota missed another good chance just after the hour when Trent Alexander-Arnold found him in space from a free kick, but the Portugal forward mistimed his header. Liverpool's failure to kill the game almost cost them as Eddie Nketiah and Eberechi Eze drew good saves from Alisson, shortly before Marc Guehi's calls for a penalty after van Dijk pulled him back were waved away.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner told reporters it was a "clear penalty" as van Dijk held Guehi with both hands. Liverpool coach Arne Slot, however, said the decision was the right one, telling TNT Sports:

"The ball is going to the goalkeeper, he (Guehi) would never have got there." Alisson went off injured after he was forced into a hasty clearance, bringing Vitezslav Jaros on for his Liverpool debut with the Palace fans sensing a shift in momentum.

But Eze squandered a chance on the break when he shot straight at Jaros who also stopped substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta in his tracks in added time. Palace remain winless with three points from seven league games, but Glasner told reporters their performance, in particular after the break, was encouraging. "It's disappointing, it's frustrating, but this performance in the second half was the best performance this season," he said.

League rejects City request to delay next season's games

The Premier League has rejected Manchester City's request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the U.S., the club's manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League's season will begin in August.

An increasingly packed soccer calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players' union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.

"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don't postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?" said Guardiola.

He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload. Reuters