Liverpool and Crystal Palace draw as Klopp frustration shows - 5 talking points
Liverpool and Crystal Palace played out perhaps the most mundane game of Premier League football you'll see all season.
Hosts Palace failed to register shot on target in the dour 0-0 draw, while a fragile Liverpool showed the wounds of Tuesday's humiliating 5-2 defeat at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League by producing a limp performance more like white noise than heavy metal football.
Jurgen Klopp was so frustrated with the Reds' first-half display that he hooked waining midfielder Naby Keita at the break in the hope that young star Harvey Elliott would offer a spark. It didn't come, and the two sides came away with a point each after a Saturday evening bout which - like anyone having too much to drink as the night goes on - won't be remembered in the morning.
Here are five talking points from Selhurst Park.
No Nunez after hot streak
After scoring in back-to-back games for the fourth time this season, Darwin Nunez - infamously sent off in the reverse fixture on his home debut - was conspicuous by his absence when the Liverpool team bus unloaded at Selhurst Park. The Uruguayan striker, who'd scored against Newcastle and Real Madrid, missed the trip to South London due to a persisting shoulder injury.
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Nunez's omission from the starting XI allowed Diogo Jota to make his first Liverpool start since the 1-0 victory over Manchester City on October 16, having missed the World Cup due to a serious calf injury. The Portuguese forward was lively in the opening stages, stinging the palms of Vicente Guaita with a rasping shot before hitting the post with a tight-angled header.
Diogo Jota tested Vicente Guaita early on (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Alexander-Arnold's lucky let-off
In what used to be a rare sight in this Liverpool team's heyday, Trent Alexander-Arnold being outfoxed by attacker seems to be an occupational hazard for the Reds right now. The England international's weak defending has seen him punished plenty of times this season and he was fortunate not to be once more when Jean-Philippe Mateta rattled the crossbar from close range towards the end of what was a drab first half.
After Jeffrey Schlupp dispossessed a sleeping Alexander-Arnold just outside the penalty area, the Palace winger squared the ball to Mateta, who hit a first-time shot which whizzed past the onrushing Alisson Becker. Liverpool breathed a collectively sigh of relief when it flashed the crossbar and the ball went out for a goal kick, but the woodwork wasn't the only thing that was rattled.
Showing his frustration, Alexander-Arnold booted the ball away when the referee Darren England's whistle sounded for a free-kick shortly after, and the home crowd appealed for the Liverpool right-back to be shown a yellow card. England noticed that Alexander-Arnold was on the verge of doing something even sillier and pointed to his head in what looked to be signal to cool it.
He'd certainly be made to relax when Jurgen Klopp took him off after 70 lifeless minutes and put James Milner at right-back in changed which epitomised his assessment of the game.
Jean-Philippe Mateta hit the crossbar in the first half (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Keita hooked after Redknapp slamming
As was the first half itself, Naby Keita's 45-minute outing was one to forget. Shown a yellow card after dragging down Michael Olise, the Liverpool midfielder failed to show boss Klopp why deserved a starting opportunity with an "erratic" performance. The German was fully aware of Keita's woes and ruthlessly substituted him at half-time in place of Harvey Elliott.
During the break, ex-Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp laid into the struggling No.8, whose time at Anfield appears to be coming to an end this summer when his contract expires. "Keita's erratic," Redknapp bemoaned on Sky Sports. "It sums up his Liverpool career. "I'd be surprised if Keita carries on."
There were no shocks when Elliott emerged after the interval.
Naby Keita's night was over after just 45 minutes (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Palace still searching for a New Year's resolution
By the time Crystal Palace are in action after another winless affair, it'll have been more than two months since they last managed to pick up three points in the Premier League. Their New Year's Eve triumph away to Bournemouth marked the last occasion when Patrick Vieira and co could enjoy the taste of victory, as Eagles fans still await their first of 2023 after 10 barren games.
However, a draw - although not an inspiring one like last month's spirited 1-1 result against Manchester United - does mean that Palace have only lost one of their last six matches since a narrow defeat at Chelsea on January 15. Vieira has certainly made his side less porous after a nightmare post-World Cup spell, but they've got plenty of strides to make in order to rediscover the kind of form which made them a tricky proposition last season, having failed to register a shot on target in this miserable meeting.
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Patrick Vieira is still waiting for a win in 2023 (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Have your say! Where will Liverpool finish this season? Join the debate in the comments section.
Reds still struggling on the road
While it's hardly as bad as not seeing your team win at all in 2023, Liverpool supporters have been subjected to some nightmare journeys of late. Although last Saturday's win at Newcastle ended a run of five league away games without a win, a week later the Reds slumped to another disappointing result on the road, rubber-stamped by a poor miss by Cody Gakpo in the dying embers.
Fortunately for Klopp's men, they'll soon have the chance to enjoy some home comforts, with home games against Wolves and Manchester United on the horizon next week - hardly their favourite two opponents this season.
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