Reaction'Big three points' - Jürgen Klopp on Palace 1-3 Liverpool

The visitors were dominant for much of a first half in which they established a two-goal lead through Virgil van Dijk and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

But the home team rallied either side of the break at Selhurst Park and got themselves back into contention when Odsonne Edouard slotted in on 55 minutes.

Three crucial points were secured on the stroke of full-time, however, as Fabinho converted a penalty awarded for an adjudged foul on Diogo Jota by Vicente Guaita.

Klopp’s men were also indebted to Alisson Becker for a series of excellent and important saves as they moved nine points behind Manchester City with a game in hand.

Post-match, the manager gave his verdict on the contest to Sky Sports...

On the switch that happened in Liverpool’s performance…

It was a bit Jekyll and Hyde football today, to be honest. We saw how good we can be – we were incredibly good in the first 35 minutes, I would say. Then, after an intense week, we had an away game at Arsenal that was really intense as well, and then flying back, coming here, so I don’t have a real explanation, to be honest, but intensity might be an explanation. And we became sloppy in the last line. The chances we gave them in the first half were pretty much produced by us, the wrong pass, bah, bah, bah. Then, second half, we were not compact, the first line pressed too high. The distance was not right, so they just played the long balls in behind; I don’t know why they were never offside, our fault of course. So, all of a sudden the game opened up and then you have to fight back, that’s what the boys did. We were brilliant for 35 minutes and the opposite in the rest of the game.

On the relief of ‘putting the game to bed’ with the late penalty…

A massive relief. I didn’t see it back but I don’t think I have to because VAR thought it’s a penalty, the ref saw it as a penalty. That the Crystal Palace people thought it’s no penalty, I understand. But I think that’s the proof you need. And then, top taken by Fab. A big three points today for us, really big. Intense period again. Now a little bit a breather, which helps, at least for most of us, not for all of us – the Brazilians have to go, Taki has to go. But the rest can take a deep breath and then we start again.

On being unbeaten while Naby Keita, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have been away at the Africa Cup of Nations…

You are right that we did it without them, but that made it so intense. You have to create, if you want, kind of a new football because if you don’t have that maximum speed on the wing, which obviously Sadio and Mo have, if you don’t have that all of a sudden you have to change how you get there in these areas. And the boys did really well. Ox again on the scoresheet, massive one. Diogo, not to stop more or less in a lot of situations. Bobby’s work-rate is second to none. The boys really put a proper shift in and I’m more than pleased about that.

On the importance of going into the international break in such a positive mood…

I just can speak for me: very important! That’s what football’s all about. You try absolutely everything and you are not always superior, you are not always dominant like crazy, and you still need results, that’s football. How I said, we did it the hard way but we did it and I’m really happy. I have to say, Crystal Palace, honestly, what Patrick is doing here, wow. A really talented team. They didn’t have a sniff of the game in the first 35 minutes, we were really good and if we stay like this then this is a clear thing today. But we couldn’t, we opened the door for them. But they were more than ready to run through it. That was really dangerous but that makes it now feel even better, because it was so hard.