Liverpool travelled to Crystal Palace tonight knowing that they could not afford to drop any more points in their race with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Joe Allen headed his first goal for the club on 18 minutes to put the Reds ahead, and they appeared to have the match wrapped up when Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez both netted before the hour mark.
However, in continuing to push forward in a bid to improve their goal difference, Liverpool were caught out as firstly Damien Delaney reduced the deficit with a deflected 25-shot past Simon Mignolet.
Yannick Bolasie's magnificent 60-yard burst exploited an exposed Liverpool defence for Palace's second goal on 81 minutes, as he squared for substitute Dwight Gayle to guide into the bottom corner.
With their tails up, the Eagles pushed for an equaliser and it came two minutes from the end as Glenn Murray chested cleverly into the path of Gayle, who tucked the ball home to complete the comeback.
The result took Brendan Rodgers' side back to the top of the Premier League table, but they are only one point above the Citizens, who have a game in hand, and two home matches remaining to clinch the title.
Below, you can read how the action unfolded in London, courtesy of SM's live text coverage.
Evening, all. The Premier League title was taken out of Liverpool's hands last week, but the Reds will not give up on a first championship in 24 years as they try to keep pace with Manchester City.
The Citizens edged past Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday to move above Brendan Rodgers' side in the Premier League table with two games remaining, but only on goal difference.
The Anfield outfit will move back to the top if they pick up a point at Crystal Palace tonight, but Rodgers and company will know that only three is enough to truly maintain their title ambitions.
Palace meanwhile have nothing of substance to play for, having already achieved their pre-season objective of survival, something that looked highly unlikely before Tony Pulis' appointment.
A recent club-record run of five straight Premier League wins saw the Eagles complete their climb from bottom-of-the-table no hopers to the safe ground of 11th place, and they could yet finish higher!
Team news from Selhurst Park coming your way shortly...
LIVERPOOL: Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Sakho, Flanagan; Gerrard, Allen, Lucas; Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez
SUBS: Jones, Toure, Agger, Coutinho, Aspas, Moses, Cissokho
PALACE: Speroni; Mariappa, Dann, Delaney, Ward; Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Ledley; Bolasie, Puncheon, Chamakh
SUBS: Hennessey, Gabbidon, Parr, O'Keefe, Ince, Gayle, Murray
Daniel Sturridge makes his first start for three weeks after shaking off a hamstring injury. Philippe Coutinho, who has an injury concern himself, makes way from the forward three.
Sturridge is reunited with strike partner Luis Suarez, who today added the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award to his PFA Players' Player of the Year accolade.
The Uruguayan pipped teammate Steven Gerrard to the prize, with a massive 52% of the vote following his 30-goal season. He needs two more to break the record for most in a 38-game campaign.
Jordan Henderson is still suspended and therefore Joe Allen continues in Liverpool's three-man midfield. Mamadou Sakho is again preferred to Daniel Agger in the centre of defence.
Palace also make the one change, with Cameron Jerome missing out through illness. Kagisho Dikgacoi comes back from a spell on the sidelines to stiffen up the home midfield.
Pulis names the same defence for the ninth consecutive game, with Joel Ward acting as a makeshift left-back. The defender has also played at right-back and as a holding midfielder this year.
With Jerome absent, Marouane Chamakh will play up front on his own. An attacking option on the Palace bench is Tom Ince, who has been a target of Liverpool boss Rodgers on more than one occasion.
Both of these teams have performed way above expectations this season, and that is probably why their respective managers are the two favourites to be named LMA Manager Of The Year.
Rodgers will surely have that individual prize in the bag if Liverpool are to win a first title since 1990. Barring a miraculous goal difference turnaround, City will need to drop points in their remaining home games against Aston Villa and West Ham United. It is there's to throw away now.
WORLD CUP WATCH: Liverpool are likely to have the largest contingent of players in Roy Hodgson's England squad. Captain Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Sturridge are probable starters in Brazil and do not be surprised if Raheem Sterling and Henderson find their way into that XI too.
REFEREE WATCH: Mark Clattenburg is the man in the middle tonight. Juventus coach Antonio Conte complained strongly about the Durham native's performance in their Europe League semi-final defeat to Benfica on Thursday, saying he was not of the required standard.
If Liverpool are expecting Palace to be complacent tonight considering their position in the league table, then they do not know Tony Pulis at all. The following stats show just how well he has done.
Around 10 minutes until kickoff in London...
Since Pulis took over in November, Palace have won more games than they have lost, and only Chelsea have conceded fewer goals. They have lost only twice at home and kept 10 clean sheets.
PREDICTION: So does that mean that Liverpool's title hopes will be ended tonight? I think that depends on the timing of the first goal, with the Reds likely to blitz Palace in the first half if they net early on as they often do. The longer things stay goalless, the more chance Palace have of capitalising on Liverpool nerves and nicking a result. I'll plump for the visitors, though. Liverpool to win 2-1.
ONE TO WATCH: As he has been whenever he has played this season, the much-heralded Luis Suarez is the man to watch this evening, despite him reportedly feeling unwell during warm-up.
We are underway in London as Liverpool seek a club-record seventh consecutive away win...
Sturridge rolls the ball into the feet of Sterling and then charges down the left channel to seek a return. He gets the ball, checks back to shoot on his right foot, but Scott Dann makes a vital tackle.
Gerrard pinches the ball off Ward and passes to Sterling to start a quick counter attack, brilliantly releasing Suarez with the outside of his right foot. He cuts inside and, like Sturridge moments before, could have shot, but instead sees a pass intended for his striker partner blocked by Damien Delaney.
Chamakh stretches to beat Sakho to a 50-50 and takes a clattering in the process. Puncheon runs onto the pass, but Flanagan keeps him on his right foot and a tame poke at goal goes wide.
MISS! Fantastic chance for Liverpool as Sakho misses an unmarked header at the far post! Gerrard's corner, which came after a penalty appeal was correctly turned down after Bolasie kicked Johnson on his follow through, is allowed to travel to the Frenchman at the back post, but he cannot guide the ball inside the post from six yards out. Palace have not conceded a set-piece goal under Pulis.
Palace have a corner of their own, with Dann making a run deep to the far post to head an overhit delivery into the stands behind the goal, under pressure from several defenders.
Dikgacoi tries an ambitious cross-field pass around Johnson to the surging Bolasie on the left flank, but the full-back does well to stretch out a leg on the dive to divert the ball to Simon Mignolet.
CHANCE! Allen spots the run of Johnson, who was left to roam by Bolaise, and dinks a ball over the top for the full-back to run onto, coming into the area off the right. Speroni comes off his line to claim but Johnson gets their first, only to send his looping header just over the crossbar.
GOAL! PALACE 0-1 LIVERPOOL (JOE ALLEN)
Joe Allen marks his 50th Premier League appearance for Liverpool with his first goal, and what an important one it could be! It's strangely awful defending from Palace, who lose their exemplary set-piece defending record under Pulis as Allen nods in at the far post. The former Swansea City midfielder span away from Joe Ledley, who cannot follow him through a crowded area, and Allen leans into a measured header which goes across Julian Speroni and into the net. An unlikely opening goal in every sense!
Liverpool's full-backs are proving excellent attacking options coming from deep, with the forwards severely outnumbered in central areas. Flanagan makes a run similar to Johnson's a few minutes earlier, perfectly cushions a square pass to Sterling, who scuffs a left-footed effort from 12 yards and is thus relieved to see the offside flag raised against Flanagan's initial movement.
Chamakh wriggles free of Johnson and Palace have numbers forward and space to run into. The Moroccan's pass sends Bolasie very wide, and Johnson recovers to thwart his run into the box.
BOOKING: Goalscorer Allen picks up the first yellow card of the evening, going in high on Chamakh, who had raced onto a loose backpass by Suarez and beat Allen to the ball.
BOOKING: Mariappa joins Allen in the book after deliberately pulling the ball away from Suarez with his hand after the Uruguayan had shoved off his challenge to leave him grounded.
CLOSE! From the resultant free kick, Suarez tries to beat Speroni from 30 yards and gets enough power and dip on a curling shot to see it drop over the wall, but a yard or so wide.
SAVE! A ball upfield bounces off Chamakh and falls to Puncheon, who unleashes a decent snap shot from 20 yards which forces Mignolet to dive low to his left and palm away.
Liverpool are continuing to use their full-backs as wingers, with Johnson in particular making regular runs in behind. He needs to be wary, though, that Palace are sometimes leaving Bolasie upfield in preparation for a quick break, and there would be no catching the pacey wide man!
SAVE! Mignolet is again called upon to keep Liverpool ahead as he makes a fingertip save to lift Jedinak's 25-yard rocket over the crossbar, after the Eagles skipper had been teed up by Ledley's layoff.
Sterling knocks the ball past Ward and runs around the other side of him to collect it. He cuts back to Suarez, who, off balance, blazes a clumsy left-footed shot some distance over the bar.
Palace have enjoyed a good last 10 minutes, but Liverpool have done well to halt the momentum that they were building heading into the break by keeping the ball calmly in midfield.
CHANCE! Palace lump a free kick forward but soon find themselves backtracking as Liverpool break rapidly. Allen releases Gerrard, who finds the Welshman, with a superb fizzing return pass. Allen rolls in Suarez past the last defender, but there is a bit too much on the pass and the 30-goal striker has to turn back on himself before shooting low at the near post, where Speroni gathers well.
Good defending from Johnson to pinch the ball from Bolasie and then clear the ball to prevent a corner. While doing so, though, the England full-back appears to have strained something and is holding the back of his leg. That will be a concern to watching Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson.
Johnson seems okay to continue for now as we enter stoppage time. Allen tries to double his Liverpool tally with a shot from the left edge of the box which was always rising away from goal.
HALF-TIME: PALACE 0-1 LIVERPOOL
What a time for Joe Allen to score his first Liverpool goal, and it is one that separates the title-chasing Reds and Crystal Palace after 45 minutes of play at Selhurst Park this evening.
On his 50th Premier League appearance for the club, the Welshman wriggled free of compatriot Joe Ledley to steer a header back across Julian Speroni and into the net on 18 minutes.
It was a rare defensive slip up from Tony Pulis' side, who twice came close to a first-half equaliser. Simon Mignolet was at full stretch to keep out Jason Puncheon's low drive and Mile Jedinak from 25 yards. Glen Johnson had earlier looped a header over the crossbar with the scores goalless.
STATS: Liverpool have had over twice as much possession as Palace, with 68% compared to 32%. They have had nine more shots, but only one more on target with three. They half had half the amount of corners with two to the Eagles' four, but crucially made one count on the scoresheet.
As it stands, Liverpool would be back on top of the Premier League, with a three-point lead over Manchester City. They have not won 1-0 since September 1, though so expect more goals. However, Palace have not come from behind to win in any of the 19 games in which they have conceded first this season, so the statistics suggest that those goals will come from Suarez and company.
The action has resumed at Selhurst Park, with both sides unchanged...
Sturridge shows a turn of pace to get away from Delaney on the right wing, but as he charged into the penalty area, the England forward is thwarted by the Palace defender's excellent slide tackle.
Bolasie nutmegs Johnson and then goes past Lucas, who tried to tug him back. Skrtel holds the winger up and the ball is eventually recycled to Ward, who skips past Sterling to earn a free kick.
PENALTY APPEAL! Suarez feels he should have a penalty and with some justification too! His great turn away from Mariappa creates some space for him to run into, and he does before slipping in Sturridge in the left channel. The England man backheels back into his partner's path, but Dann's blatant block prevents him from running onto the return. Clattenburg waves away appeals.
MISS! Suarez blazes over an open goal moments after Speroni had kept out Sturridge with a truly outstanding save. With virtually no backlift, Sturridge tries to bend the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards, using Dann as a shield. At full stretch, Speroni pushes the ball onto the post and it falls for Suarez, only for the Uruguayan to rashly sky the ball towards row z from close range.
GOAL! PALACE 0-2 LIVERPOOL (DANIEL STURRIDGE)
Speroni can do nothing about this one, with a deflection from Sturridge's shot taking the ball past him and doubling Liverpool's lead. Gerrard's raking diagonal is well controlled by the former Chelsea man, who cuts inside, goes past a couple of defenders and shoots low, via the trailing leg of one of the recovering bodies diving in to make a block, just out of Speroni's reach. That's 21 for the season now.
GOAL! PALACE 0-3 LIVERPOOL (LUIS SUAREZ)
Suarez joins the party now and suddenly Liverpool are sniffing a massive win which could take their goal difference closer to Man City's. Suarez gets a lucky bounce of the ball while attempting to turn away from Delaney, and releases Sterling to his left. He collects a return and calmly slots underneath Speroni to score his 31st of the season and take the Reds within one of a century of goals for the campaign. The game has been killed off, now just how much of a dent can Liverpool put in the goal difference advantage which City have? It currently stands at six, with the Reds on +53 and City on +59.
Liverpool's strikers are smelling blood now and are operating a shoot-on-sight policy. Both Sturridge and Suarez hit some distance over the crossbar from range when better options were available.
BOOKING: Palace have just ever so slightly taken the sting out of Liverpool's attacking intent with a four-minute spell of keep ball and slowing the play down. In his attempts to win the ball back quickly, Skrtel wrestles Chamakh to the ground and is awarded a yellow card for his troubles.
SUBSTITUTION: Palace's £5m club-record signing Dwight Gayle makes an appearance off the bench, replacing Puncheon in a change which will see Chamakh shifted to the left flank.
SHOT! Moments after Delaney intercepts Sturridge's square pass to an unmarked Sterling, Johnson drifts in from the right, skips past two defenders and unleashes a dipping left-footed strike which Speroni punches away. I've seen him score goals like that before, and that was a decent effort.
BOOKING: Referee Clattenburg pulls the play back for an earlier foul by Dann, who had clattered into the back of Suarez in the middle of the Palace half. He follows teammate Mariappa into the book.
SUBSTITUTION: Pulis swaps strikers as last season's top goalscorer Glenn Murray comes on in place of Chamakh, who has worked admirably, but without service at the other end.
Sterling's hopeful cutback is well behind Sturridge and Palace clear. The winger played the pass blind and Sturridge had made a dart into the six-yard box rather than hung back on the penalty spot.
Palace may not deliver the victorious sendoff which their fans, who have been incessantly vocal all season, would have wanted, but that is not stopping the home faithful from singing. Fans of the year?!
CHANCE! Dikgacoi's blind pass backwards is intercepted by Suarez, who runs at his man before teeing up Sterling, who cuts back onto his right foot only to have his shot blocked by Mariappa.
CHANCE! Palace have the chance to counter as Dikgacoi charges through the middle and sets Murray free. Gayle makes a 60-yard burst to offer him an option to cross to, but Murray selfishly and wastefully shoots from 30 yards out, slicing horribly wide from an unlikely angle.
SUBSTITUTION: Rodgers brings on Coutinho for Sterling for the final 12 minutes.
GOAL! PALACE 1-3 LIVERPOOL (DAMIEN DELANEY)
Liverpool's recent goal difference boost takes a turn for the worse as Delaney finds the top corner with a 25-yard shot for his first Premier League goal! What he was doing so far forward, I'm not sure, but he collected a pass from Jedinak, spun and struck, via a deflection off Johnson, who did not do enough to close the central defender down, past a helpless Mignolet in the Reds goal.
GOAL! PALACE 2-3 LIVERPOOL (DWIGHT GAYLE)
It is suddenly all to play for as two goals in two minutes from Palace puts the cat well and truly among the Liverpool pigeons! The visitors commit a host of bodies forward and are caught out as Bolasie pips Coutinho to the ball and then knocks the ball past Johnson before sprinting 50 yards to collect the ball. His magnificent run of the length of the pitch ends up in him squaring up Johnson and passing for Gayle, who opens up his body to guide the cross past Mignolet and into the bottom corner. A very tidy finish and suddenly Liverpool are sweating on the points! What a comeback this would be...
Bolasie has been absolutely electric in this last five minutes, but is perhaps too pumped as his decision making has been questionable after doing superbly to work himself into good positions. Palace have had a couple of corners and a Gayle shot, but Liverpool have withstood the barrage so far.
GOAL! PALACE 3-3 LIVERPOOL (DWIGHT GAYLE)
This is absolutely incredible, Palace have come from three goals down to level at Selhurst Park and Liverpool's title hopes are hanging in the balance! Mariappa drills a ball forward and Murray peels off his marker to superbly chest the ball behind the Reds back line. Gayle is in acres of space and calmly gets the ball under control before tucking it beyond Mignolet! Liverpool are throwing the title away!
FIVE minutes of stoppage time. Gayle, seeking the most unlikely of hat-tricks, drags a left-footed shot several yards wide. At the other end, Coutinho has had a shot blocked but it is Palace who are looking the most threatening. Bolasie is absolutely on fire on the counter attack.
Two minutes remaining at Selhurst Park. If Liverpool do not score here then City can afford to draw one of their last two games and still win the league.
BLOCK! Moses and Lucas both have shots blocked in an almighty goalmouth scramble. Superb last-ditch defending from Palace who are doing Man City a huge, huge favour!
FULL-TIME: PALACE 3-3 LIVERPOOL
I cannot quite believe what I've just seen. Tears from Suarez at the end of the game, who is on his knees with his shirt covering his face. Liverpool have thrown two points away, and what could be two crucial points in a title race which is now leaning heavily towards Man City, despite the Reds moving back to the top of the table after tonight's result. A point is not enough, though.
I usually finish these live commentaries with a brief summary of the game, but my few words will not do a Premier League classic justice. Read Sports Mole's full match report on an unbelievable 3-3 draw, and a horrible night for Liverpool fans, here, for a conclusive recap of the events.
That's it from me on a night when we perhaps witnessed the Premier League's greatest ever comeback. Thanks for joining Sports Mole and be sure to tune in again for Man City's game with Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the Citizens could take a huge step towards winning the title. Until next time...
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
