Steven Gerrard's final game at Anfield ended in defeat as Crystal Palace came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory on an emotional day for the Liverpool captain.

In his last match at the ground before joining Los Angeles Galaxy, Gerrard was given a guard of honour by both sides as he entered the pitch to a fantastic ovation.

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With much of the focus on the midfielder, the early stages of the game failed to live up to expectations as the hosts dominated possession without much success.

The lively Yannick Bolasie, partnering Marouane Chamakh in attack, threatened to hand the lead to the visitors when his deflected effort drifted just past the post.

It was the home side who broke the deadlock midway through the first half when a poor pass from Martin Kelly invited pressure from Adam Lallana, who beat Scott Dann to the ball before firing past Wayne Hennessey.

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Palace responded impressively to the setback and, after both Joe Ledley and Bolasie had struck efforts over the bar, Simon Mignolet was forced into a five save to keep out Jason Puncheon's deflected strike.

The Belgian goalkeeper is unlikely to have been pleased with the part that he played in Palace's equaliser, however. He took a step in the wrong direction before watching Puncheon find the back of the net with a free kick for the second weekend in a row.

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A frantic start to the second half saw both sides go close, with Jordan Henderson somehow managing to fire over after bringing the ball down on his chest in the box.

Palace were left furious at the other end of the pitch when Martin Skrtel appeared to handle a Bolasie shot, before Lee Chung-Yong went down under pressure from the defender.

Lee was involved again a few moments later when he sliced wide of the target after good work from Bolasie on the break.

Alan Pardew's side were finally rewarded for an extended spell on top as Bolasie beat a couple of defenders on the wing before delivering a cross to Wilfried Zaha, who tapped in just 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute.

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It was almost a fairytale moment in front of the Kop End when Gerrard curled into the arms of Hennesey from the edge of the box.

Bolasie continued to cause problems for the Liverpool defence as he produced another impressive performance, and he came agonisingly close to wrapping up the win when he cut inside before rattling the crossbar.

Another half-chance fell to Gerrard when Alberto Moreno pulled the ball back to the edge of the box, but the Liverpool skipper could only send a volley well wide of the target.

Despite being forced onto the back foot in the closing stages, Palace threatened again when Puncheon led a break before seeing his powerful effort kept out by Mignolet.

Liverpool pushed for an equaliser late on, but Gerrard was unable to deliver a final moment of magic in front of the home fans and Palace were gifted the chance to secure the win when Zaha was tripped by Lucas.

Substitute Glenn Murray stepped up from 12 yards and, after seeing Mignolet save the penalty, the striker reacted quickly to convert the rebound as Gerrard's final appearance at Anfield ended in defeat.