JOHN BRADLEY: And so the hectic mid-season and winter period starts now.
After three months of games interspersed with international breaks,
it's time for the Premier League to really kick in.
That's a loose ball,
again it's Alexander-Arnold,
and it comes to Townsend.
Held up by Wijnaldum, that's a lovely ball in to Jordan Ayew!
Kouyate picked out the Ghanaian, but he couldn't score.
GARY GILLESPIE: It's a loose ball,
interesting that Robertson shows Townsend down the right side,
he's reluctant to go because he's left-footed,
and it's a lovely little, flat, enticing ball from Kouyate.
JOHN: Now Fabinho forward, Sadio Mane...
Well, he's a whisker away from taking it in.
GARY: Straight ball from Fabinho, but he manages to get it almost inch-perfect,
that little dink, Mane fractions away from taking it on the half-volley.
JOHN: Kouyate again with another positive run.
Free kick goes against Van Dijk.
GARY: It looks as if he's been given licence, Kouyate, to make these forward runs.
JOHN: It's Milivojevic again.
And the header will go up and over the top via the crossbar, from Gary Cahill.
One that you always knew was going over, goalkeeper just had to keep an eye on it.
GARY: He doesn't get any real purchase on it.
JOHN: Zaha, that's a little bit of a push from Alexander-Arnold.
As soon as you put your arms on, Zaha went tumbling over.
GARY: Any time that you lift your arm and it's seen as a movement towards the player,
more often than not, 10 times out of 10 you're gonna give a free kick away.
JOHN: And it's a really good delivery, and it's through for James Tomkins!
Who puts the ball into the back of the net, and Crystal Palace have their lead.
It was a better delivery this time from Milivojevic.
GARY: I think it comes off a Liverpool player at the near post.
It's Wijnaldum, he just gets a flick on it.
The beneficiary is Tomkins at the far post.
JOHN: There is a little bit of contention,
Liverpool felt there was a foul on Dejan Lovren as the ball was delivered.
It's whether or not it interfered with the goal itself,
they felt that Jordan Ayew pushed Lovren over.
This is the challenge.
Well, Gary, if you give a free kick for the challenge on Alexander-Arnold,
you have to give one there.
GARY: Well, it's pretty simple to me,
the free kick that was awarded was a push by Alexander-Arnold on Zaha,
which was nowhere near as bad as this push here.
JOHN: There you go, it's no goal and a Liverpool free kick.
It stands to reason, Kevin Friend has got it right,
he's made one decision to give the free kick and has then backed it up.
That's Henderson, brilliant ball, and that's Mane!
Sadio Mane not quite able to take the chance, some ball by Henderson.
GARY: That little forward run by Mane, he's been the one trying to get in behind,
on this occasion he gets a little bit of room and space.
JOHN: Here comes Robertson, that's for Firmino,
and Sadio Mane miscues!
And it's into the back of the net! It went from one post to the other,
it's the ugliest goal Sadio Mane will ever score,
but it could turn into such a valuable one for Liverpool.
They've been on the back foot, but they lead again.
GARY: Well, it's not always the ones that come off your foot right that go in!
It's a speculative kind of ball from Robertson,
and then a swing of the leg from Mane, he's been the one most likely to score.
We talked about the fantastic record he has against Crystal Palace,
he's continued that here this afternoon,
and the spin of the ball takes it past the helpless Van Aanholt.
And Liverpool take the lead.
JOHN: Shot blocked by Henderson. Van Aanholt.
Townsend, can hit them!
But he hit it straight at Alisson.
GARY: The goalkeeper gets his angles right and they need to be as well,
because this is a real powerful strike.
JOHN: Here's Robertson, now Mane.
Uses Wijnaldum as a decoy.
And wins Liverpool a corner.
That was proper Liverpool, moving from one end of the field to another,
and another Trent Alexander-Arnold special.
Here comes the Liverpool corner...
And it comes all the way through,
and Dejan Lovren was the one trying to turn the ball in at the far post.
GARY: I think it's Mane that just misses it.
Here's Origi, his first involvement,
and here's Firmino, who's in!
Oh, and Guaita has done so well.
It's a really good reaction from the goalkeeper.
If he was at fault for the goal, he certainly makes up for it here.
GARY: It's Robertson who just toe pokes it into the path of Firmino,
who in turn toe pokes it, and he thought it was gonna be bound for the corner.
JOHN: Van Aanholt.
Zaha.
Again with time to move and run at Liverpool.
And making good use of it.
Van Dijk with the header.
Van Aanholt helps it back in,
Townsend, Schlupp!
Instinctive.
And it's only just wide.
There's no backlift on it at all.
And Alisson might have got a little bit of that, you know.
GARY: I think he's in two minds, the goalkeeper,
whether to make a save or let it go.
His angles are good, it was a decent shot.
JOHN: Alexander-Arnold's ball struck Schlupp. Zaha.
Making good ground there, he's taken Fabinho out of the game,
and Alexander-Arnold. And he's found Benteke.
He's ridden the challenge of Lovren, and Townsend, that's a lovely help on,
and Zaha...scores.
It's the best move Crystal Palace have put together all afternoon,
and Wilfried Zaha, whose goal record isn't the best,
comes up big to get the equaliser.
GARY: Well, as soon as he picked it up the fans were on their feet, expecting something.
Benteke is probably allowed to go too far initially,
credit to Crystal Palace, because they've got a lot of bodies in the box.
And Zaha just skips past Origi, but it's all about whether he can control the finish.
Which he's been maybe a bit guilty of in the past,
but on this occasion finds the bottom corner past the helpless Alisson.
Palace on level terms.
JOHN: Fabinho, Alexander-Arnold.
Right round the back, Kelly's just helped the ball away, Liverpool have a corner.
And it comes through and ricochets down, and it's away, Firmino!
Well, it was a mad ricochet inside the penalty area,
and Roberto Firmino just waited and bided his time,
the ball fell kindly to the Brazilian, who slots home, and Liverpool lead again.
GARY: It's a set-play, Liverpool put an awful lot of good balls in,
it's Virgil van Dijk that gets the first bite of the cherry,
and then it's a little bit of a pinball machine in there,
not quite sure where the ball is gonna go.
Difficult for Crystal Palace to get their foot through it and give it a big clearance,
they don't manage it, and inside that sort of area the last person you want it to fall to
if you're a Crystal Palace fan is Roberto Firmino,
he's cool as you like, sticks it into the bottom corner,
and just after being pegged back Liverpool find themselves back in the lead.
JOHN: Now Van Aanholt, looking in behind for Schlupp.
Fabinho's big foot was in the way there, just stuck it out and made sure.
But Crystal Palace have a corner.
Cahill and Benteke and Tomkins all wait, that's not the best clearance in the world,
it's Townsend.
Oh, that's a lovely reverse ball.
Oh! Well, at this level, that chance, for Wilfried Zaha,
you just have to score.
GARY: There's questions whether he was offside or not,
we didn't see the referee's assistant's flag go up.
What you can say is, it's a pretty woeful finish for a player of his ability.
JOHN: Liverpool win again, they just keep on winning,
Sadio Mane with the first then it looked like Palace were going to nick a point,
when Wilfried Zaha scored eight minutes from time,
but they didn't count on a good, old-fashioned goalmouth scramble,
and Roberto Firmino poking home.