Liverpool will look to continue their bright start to the Premier League season as they host Crystal Palace on Saturday, who come into the game in impressive form themselves.
Patrick Viera’s team finally won their first win of this season, beating Tottenham 3-0 at Selhurst Park. This is a venue where Liverpool have had mixed results.
Liverpool has won eight of their Premier League matches against Palace, including a remarkable 7-0 win at Selhurst Park last year. However, the Reds made South London a bogey side after their famous draw in the 2013/14 campaign.
Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side was charging towards their first ever Premier League championship and led Palace by three goal heading into the last 11 minutes of the match at Selhurst.
Palace pulled off the unthinkable that night, and thwarted Liverpool’s title dream in the process, and Daily Star Sport has now revisited the memorable match back in 2014…
Luis Suarez’s tears
Liverpool led Palace 3-0 heading into the final 11 minutes, and a win would’ve left them three points clear of Manchester City with just one game of their Premier League season remaining.
Following Steven Gerrard’s famous slip, the Reds lost their previous game against Chelsea. Liverpool collapsed against Palace as a long-range goal from Damien Delaney was followed by a late brace from Dwight Gayle, which shocked Brendan Rodgers.
Luis Suarez was inconsolable at full-time, and his emotional reaction let the Liverpool fans know that their side had probably blown their chance at winning their first ever Premier League title.
The Uruguayan said to the Daily Mail: “That hurt so much. We were so desperate to win it. I knew we had a unique opportunity and we were playing so well.
“It was that desire to get more goals against Crystal Palace that let them back into it and killed us. When we lost that game, I knew the league was over. Everyone was sick.”
City’s dramatic title
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Manchester City took full advantage of Liverpool’s slip up and won their final two games of the season to win their second Premier League title.
Following Sergio Aguero’s dramatic victory in overtime against Queens Park Rangers in 2011, City won the 2011/12 league title. This time, they won it in extreme circumstances which were not their fault.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team won the league by two, but it could have gone much differently if Liverpool had defeated Palace at Selhurst Park. With City under increasing pressure heading into the next fixture.
City nearly faced a similar crisis, but they held off Everton to win 3-1 at Goodison Park. Liverpool’s city rivals were almost able to help them out.
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Reds rebuild
The manner of the Palace defeat and subsequent league title collapse paved the way for the rebuild at Liverpool, which saw them replace Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp just over a year later following a run of poor results, ending with a draw in the Merseyside derby.
Klopp was appointed by Liverpool. It is not clear if the Reds would have won the title that year. However, the Reds have gone on to become one of Europe’s most successful teams, winning both the Premier League as well as the Champions League under Klopp.
Liverpool’s Premier League victory didn’t come down to the wire. The Reds won the division, having defeated City the year before. Klopp’s team also won the Champions League, after suffering a defeat to Real Madrid in the previous season.
Rodgers might have had Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, and Suarez as their dangerous front three but Klopp has assembled one of the most successful trios in Premier League history, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane being the key to Liverpool’s success.
Liverpool fans will be able to look back at the collapse of 2013/14 with positive feelings, because it was a long-term success.