Liverpool's persistence pays off against Palace

Emma Sanders, BBC Sport

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool had to work hard for their victory over Crystal Palace - and they did.

It was a resilient and organised first-half performance from the visitors but Liverpool's persistence paid off when Sadio Mane poked in the opener at the back post.

From that point on, Liverpool's dominance rose and they had the quality in the right moments to extend their lead.

Palace showed glimpses of attacking threat but lacked a clinical edge and could not compete with Liverpool's midfield.

It was another promising showing of Liverpool's strength in depth too - Klopp made six changes to the starting XI but there was no significant drop off.

It means they go top of the table with four wins from their opening five games, while visitors Palace remain outside the top 10.