Seeing is believing. Liverpool gave up a painful and frustrating defeat at Anfield against Crystal Palace (0-1) and Arsenal were also defeated against Aston Villa at the Emirates (0-2). Two defeats that lift a Manchester City team that did its homework on Saturday against the modest Luton to first place. Guardiola's team has two points over both teams with six games remaining until the end of the season.
The Reds were tied up by the London team in the first half, in which they conceded the only goal of the game, by Eze, but in the second they had several very clear chances to turn the score around. None entered and the Reds remain two points behind first place, in the hands of Manchester City awaiting the Arsenal match.
Perhaps still affected by the tough defeat suffered on Thursday against Atalanta (0-3), in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals, Klopp's men took to the pitch at lower speeds than usual, also due to the good work of the players. Oliver Glasner. The eagles, at the bottom of the table, jumped onto the grass without complexes. They gave a taste of their same medicine to a Liverpool team that had a hard time overcoming the intensity of the visitors, especially in the Merseyside team's creation zone.
Crystal Palace's first warning came when just a few seconds had been played. Mitchell and Eze tested Alisson who was reappearing after an injury. However, the Brazilian couldn't do anything after a quarter of an hour, when a good team play ended in a goal. Wharton, Mitchell and Olise combined with excessive ease on the left, who crossed into the area so that Eze, completely at will and without opposition, finished into the net.
Still dazed by the goal, an inopportune slip by Van Dijk three minutes later caused Mateta to find himself one-on-one with Alisson. The striker beat the goalkeeper, but Robertson saved the Eagles' second on the goal line. The Reds' best chance in the first half came in an acrobatic action by Luis Díaz that was thwarted by Henderson, the first of several for the goalkeeper.
After the restart, Crystal Palace still had a flash before Liverpool activated their machinery. As they usually do with their rivals at Anfield, the locals began to overwhelm the Londoners with constant attacks, mostly point-blank opportunities that did not end in a miraculous equalizer. The first was from Núñez, who made Henderson shine again with a point-blank shot practically in the small area. Even clearer was Jota's goal into an empty goal, saved by Clyne.
In the midst of a flood of nets, Crystal Palace was able to put the game away in the 74th minute, also on a very clear occasion. Eze took a lateral free kick, Andersen brought it down and Mateta found Alisson's spectacular handball on a goal-mouth shot. Without respite, Curtis Jones ruined a one-on-one, with a shot wide, facing desperation in Klopp's wing.
The last of the reds in the 91st minute, and no less clear, was from Salah. The Egyptian, very gray throughout the match, could not believe that Mitchell had taken the ball from him over the goal line. Liverpool continued to push, overwhelming the eagles, but this time there was no comeback.
Next it was Arsenal's turn, which also succumbed to the pressure against an Aston Villa that decided the match at the Emirates in the final stretch. Lucas Digne put in a good cross in the 84th minute that wandered around the area until Leon Bailey, unmarked at the far post, put it into the net. Three minutes later, Ollie Watkins took advantage of a counterattack to beat David Raya with a one-on-one goal.
Arsenal's Spanish goalkeeper had previously been saved by his posts, first with a shot from Watkins in the 39th minute and on the hour mark with a shot from Youri Tielmans that hit the crossbar and the post. This is Arsenal's fifth defeat this season in the League, the first since the one suffered on December 31 against Fulham (2-1).
Of the three teams competing for the title, Manchester City has the most affordable schedule between now and the end of the season, with Tottenham being the toughest rival. Liverpool and Arsenal will also have to face the spurs. But the Gunners will also have to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United, while the Reds will play a derby against Everton and travel to Aston Villa.
