This is the turf, of course, where a title chase against Manchester City was famously extinguished eight years ago as Liverpool, three goals to the good, were undone by a devastating finale. The draw on that Spring evening in 2014 was a brutal object lesson in complacency.

The dynamics are different this time. City remain so far ahead in the title race that even in January that, as Jurgen Klopp put it before this game, every game is ‘a final’ for his team. But the victory was a reminder that the same perils old lurk, even with his chastening presence on the touchline. Palace could – and should – have found parity with Liverpool before a questionable late penalty took the game beyond them.

Klopp can cite the three points, needless to say. Liverpool continue to accumulate them while Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane are away at the African Cup of Nations. City’s lead at the top is reduced to nine points and it will be six if Liverpool win their game in hand. There might just be life in this title race yet.

Liverpool were aided by a desperately anaemic first half performance by Palace which should have put the game almost out of sight and did damage to the reputation Patrick Vieira’s team have built as a powerful, rapid side. Virgil van Dijk and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s goals were gift-wrapped.

But that could take nothing away from Liverpool’s first half e fluency. Andrew Robertson’s impeccable delivery assisted in both goals, which were terrible from a Palace perspective.

Van Dijk peeled away undetected as the full-back’s eighth minute corner from the left had been struck and would not have had an easier exercise on the training ground all week.
Odsonne Eduard was in the general vicinity but the van Dijk’s headed goal was in the net before anyone had computed the danger.

At Anfield in September, Palace had shown some tactical insight, with long balls to beat the Liverpool press but they were swamped as they tried to shift it around in front of their own box and repeatedly unaware where Liverpool danger lurked.

When Robertson put another telling cross in just beyond the half hour mark, Tyrick Mitchell was busy worrying about Roberto Firmino and no-one detected Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, lurking behind, who drew down the ball and scored with a sharp, left-footed half volley.

It was Liverpool’s tenth shot on goal at that stage and Palace had managed a mere two touches in Liverpool’s area. The passing fluency of Jordan Henderson, taking positions high up the Liverpool right, and Diego Jota and the all-round energy told that his team has intent.

It took Liverpool’s own sloppiness to give Palace some belief that attacking intent was within them.

A poor pass across his own penalty area by Joel Matip, as he tried to move out of defence, was sent straight to Michael Olise who had a clear sight of goal and despatched a shot that Alisson extended his left leg to block. When Roberto Firmino sacrificed possession almost as easily, Olise sent though a ball that Jean-Philippe Mateta accelerated past van Dijk to meet, finding an angled shot which Matip managed to put out of play.