Report & Highlights: Eagles end historic season with Anfield draw

Summary:

• Palace begin the day with back-to-back top-half Premier League finish in their sights.
• Final Premier League match of the season sees four Palace changes: Mitchell, Kamada, Eze and Mateta all return; Henderson captains the side.
• Palace give league champions Liverpool guard of honour, immediately reciprocated for the FA Cup winners.
• 8 – GOAL: Eagles get off to brilliant start as Ismaïla Sarr pounces on a Liverpool error.
• 26: Diaz collects Szoboloslai’s pass on the edge of the box, but bends round the post.
• 29: Diaz, under pressure from Muñoz, heads over Bradley’s hanging cross.
• 30: Mateta doubles Palace’s lead – but the flag goes up for offside – before moments later he hits the bar.
• 37: Super Henderson save with his legs denies Diaz, after Salah plays him through.
• HT: Liverpool 0-1 Palace
• 50: Lacroix makes brilliant block to deflect Salah’s curler beyond the far post.
• 60: Gravenberch goes down over Richards’ challenge, but referee judges simulation.
• 65: Henderson makes wonderful sprawling save from Nuñez’s clipped finish.
• 66: Sarr brings down Muñoz’s cross and forces Alisson into a low save with snap-shot.
• 68 – RED CARD: Gravenberch shown a straight red card for hauling down Kamada.
• 75: Jota hits the post from Gakpo’s lay-off as 10-man Liverpool push for an equaliser.
• 85 – GOAL: Gakpo heads down and Salah volleys home a late equaliser for Liverpool.
• FT: Liverpool 1-1 Palace
• Palace end the season with a Premier League era record of 53 points and in 12th position.

There was a festival atmosphere at Anfield to welcome the final day of the 2024/25 Premier League season: hosts Liverpool had long since wrapped up their 20th title, whilst a week before, Palace had, of course, won their first-ever major trophy after defeating Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup Final.

With Oliver Glasner’s Eagles having also sealed a club-record season in terms of Premier League points in midweek, they still had two final goals to aim for: the potential of reaching 55 points for the first time with a win, and prospective back-to-back top-10 finishes, albeit depending on other results elsewhere.

The occasion saw a heart-warming moment before the off: a show of mutual appreciation for one another’s achievements as, first, Palace’s players gave Liverpool a traditional guard of honour, before the hosts turned around and reciprocated the act for our history-making Eagles, to thunderous applause all around Anfield.

Following a spate of injuries and illness, Palace made four changes to their starting XI for the match, as Tyrick Mitchell, Daichi Kamada, Ebere Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta all returned from the team which started the Cup Final; Dean Henderson took the Palace captain’s armband from the start for the first time.

They got off to an electric start, too, with Mitchell doing superbly after eight minutes to create Palace’s opening goal.

The left-back, pressing high on the halfway line, intercepted a loose ball forwards from Conor Bradley, spun well to evade his marker, and played it into the feet of Sarr – unmarked – and the Senegal forward produced a composed finish to slide it past the onrushing Alisson.

Much like Wolverhampton Wanderers’ opener at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night, Palace’s early goal did not exactly dampen the Anfield atmosphere; it was a day, above all, for celebrating.

That did not mean that the game was lacking anything for effort or intensity – both sides hunting the ball down – but chances were few and far between in the opening quarter.

The game did eventually open up around the hour mark as Luis Diaz twice went close for Liverpool, firstly collecting Dominik Szoboloslai’s pass on the edge of the box, but bending a fierce effort narrowly round the post; then racing onto a clipped cross from the overlapping Bradley on the right but – on the gallop and stooping – heading over.

It appeared to jolt Palace into chance creation mode as well, as Mateta twice went close in the following moments – scoring from Mitchell’s through ball, only to be flagged offside, before hitting the bar from close range, albeit likely in an offside position again.

There was only one real moment of concern for Palace before the break, but with Liverpool working the ball well around the Eagles’ box, Henderson was on hand to block with his legs and kick behind Diaz’s finish after Mo Salah’s clipped through pass.

When the half-time whistle sounded, Palace’s single-goal lead had us – for the first time in our Premier League history – tenth for a second successive season.

The second-half began with a bit more of a concerted barrage from the hosts, perhaps determined to end their league-winning season on a high; Maxence Lacroix did wonderfully to position himself in the way of Salah’s curling effort.

Liverpool thought they had a penalty on the hour mark when Ryan Gravenberch went over inside the area, but far too theatrically for referee Darren England’s liking, before Henderson was called upon to make another fine sprawling save after Darwin Nuñez ran through from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long ball.

The game was beginning to open up and Sarr had the chance to double Palace’s lead with a sharp turn and shot from Muñoz’s hanging cross – but Alisson got down well to deny him on this occasion.

There was a twist moments later, however, when a Palace clearance was brought down by Gravenberch with a loose touch; in the splinter of a second, Kamada was onto the Liverpool man, nicking it past him and being fouled on the halfway line. The red card came out for a professional foul, and Liverpool were down to 10 men.

That did not stem their attacking momentum, however, and they ought to have levelled from six yards when Cody Gakpo squared for Diogo Jota; his scuffed finish evaded the Palace bodies on the line, but also clipped the outside of the post.

There were further important clearances from Palace’s centre-backs: Lacroix, Richards and Jefferson Lerma all doing superbly to repel the Reds’ pressure.

Ultimately, it did not hold out, as with five minutes remaining, a deep cross in was nodded back across goal by Gakpo for Salah, in space, to smash home from close range.

Nevertheless, with other late goals across the league, a draw at Anfield was enough to confirm our 12th-place finish – Crystal Palace history having well and truly been written elsewhere in recent days.

Next season, it will be in Europe, too.

Liverpool: Alisson (GK), Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, HT), Van Dijk, Konate (Jota, 62), Robertson (Elliott, 87), Jones, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai (Nunez, 61), Diaz (Endo, 69), Salah, Gakpo.

Subs: Kelleher (GK), Gomez, Tsimikas, Quansah.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Richards, Lacroix, Lerma, Muñoz, Kamada, Hughes (Esse, 78 (França, 90+3)), Mitchell, Sarr, Eze (Devenny, 62), Mateta (Nketiah, 62).

Subs: Turner (GK), Ward, Kporha.

AS IT HAPPENED