Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool: The story told in stats

Here are all the stats you need to know after Liverpool beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League. It was a mixed bag, to say the least.

Liverpool eventually managed to beat Crystal Palace on Saturday - but it wasn't pretty. Jurgen Klopp got that across in his post-match comments, admitting he told the players that he'd never seen a team "play as bad as we did for 76 minutes and still win it". That about sums it all up.

The Reds went behind in the second half through a penalty and looked well off it. They created next to nothing, struggling badly to threaten the Palace goal. Then Jordan Ayew got himself a second yellow card which swung the game.

Mohamed Salah had Liverpool level within minutes and then Harvey Elliott stepped up in stoppage time to win the game. A massive win for the Reds, even if they were well below par.

Here's what the stats tell us.

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Alexander-Arnold looks for a breakthrough

Trent Alexander-Arnold was hit-and-miss here. Going forward, at least, he was something quite special - even if he didn't get his trademark assist.

The Scouser created a remarkable six chances for teammates, which was double that of anyone else on the pitch. In fact, Palace as a team only had seven key passes. This was a game where Alexander-Arnold consistently tried to force a breakthrough for Liverpool.

Defensively, it wasn't quite the same success. The right-back was dribbled twice, per Whoscored data, which was the joint-most in the game. Even worse, he only attempted two tackles and failed with both.

Still, that shouldn't take away from another great passing display. Even one that Liverpool didn't take advantage of.

Liverpool on the dribble

The dribbling numbers really stand out here. Liverpool successful dribbled past players seven times across the 90 minutes - just one below their average for the season.

But they did that at a 32 per cent success rate. In other words, they failed with 15 dribbles - well above their average of 11 unsuccessful dribbles. Luis Diaz attempted six and failed with four, while Dominik Szoboszlai failed with all three of his attempts.

It's a stat that goes to show just how off it Liverpool were at Selhurst Park. Palace stifled them and just wouldn't let the Reds have their way.

Aerial difference

Jarell Quansah started at the back here but this might have been his worst performance so far. To be expected of a young player that he's not flawless every game, of course, but the difference between him and Ibrahima Konaté was clear to see.

The aerial dominance shows it off. Quansah went up for six defensive headers against Palace, winning just three. Konaté, in contrast, went up for 14 against Sheffield United in midweek and won every single one.

Liverpool just weren't as solid in this one. It's certainly not Quansah's fault - and he wasn't the only player who struggled in that regard - but it's food for thought now that Joel Matip is out.

Van Dijk is at his best again

No one should be in doubt that Virgil van Dijk is back at his best. He's looked great all season but these are now back-to-back games where the captain shone.

Van Dijk attempted two tackles here and won them both. He challenged five headers and won all five. He had more touches, completed more passes and made more clearances than anyone else on the pitch.

An imperious display from the best defender in the world.

Perfect Harvey Elliott

What a difference the right substitute can make. Klopp threw Harvey Elliot into the game on 74 minutes and eventually, he won the game.

Of course, Elliott's 91st-minute goal takes the headlines and it was a fantastic strike. That's not the only reason he should get praise for his cameo, though.

Elliott came on and completed 24 passes in a short spell. That's as many as Luis Diaz managed in 90 minutes, more than Ryan Gravenberch completed before he went off, and twice that of Darwin Nunez.

What really stands out, though, is that Elliott attempted 24, too. He completed every single pass and then popped up with the winner. Klopp couldn't possibly have asked for more from the youngster - he's even the player who earned Jordan Ayew his second yellow card.