Premier League referee Tony Harrington with Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola inset
Premier League referee Tony Harrington with Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola inset
Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak provided the difference for the Reds in a game that was far less comfortable than the score line suggests.
The home side had chance after chance in the first half, with Alisson called into action on several occasions, but could only find the net when Eddie Nketiah scored a late penalty.
It was an important win for Liverpool, who were beaten by Arsenal last week and Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday.
For Pierre Sage, the result may prove to be a fatal one for his future at Selhurst Park.
Palace now sit at the bottom of the Premier League table, with just two wins from their opening 10 games.
Three goals and three points ✊ #CRYLIV pic.twitter.com/6WJfnIhr4a
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 8, 2026
Florian Wirtz escapes certain yellow
Harrington was keen to avoid handing out yellow cards at will in the first half, but kept his cards in his pocket for too long.
As Adam Wharton attempted to take a quick free-kick midway through the first half, the German stood in front of the ball and blocked the pass.
Harrington opted against handing out a punishment but Wirtz almost certainly should have been booked for delaying the restart.
Crystal Palace denied the advantage
One flashpoint in the first half saw Ronald Araujo swarmed after a late and unattractive challenge on Tyrick Mitchell.
Harrington reached for his pocket and produced a yellow card, with there being little doubt that no further punishment was neccessary.
Yet if the referee had just waited for a brief moment, he would have seen that Quinten Timber had the ball and was ready to run at the Liverpool backline, with two or three players in support.
Tony Harrington fooled by Ronald Araujo
Palace's frustrations grew as their chances of staging a late comeback dwindled in the final stages.
Yeremy Pino looked to have taken out those frustrations on Araujo, who could be heard screaming at the top of his lungs in pain.
The winger was shown a yellow card but replays showed that he had done very little at all, simply raising his foot in an attempt to block the clearance.
Unfortunately for Harrington, Araujo's cries had convinced him to award an unwarranted yellow card.