As Liverpool vs Crystal Palace is set to take place on Saturday, the unusual rivalry between the pair seemingly continues.
An unlikely rivalry with both clubs at the opposite ends of the country, but one that oddly exists and always see Liverpool fans feel more pressure than usual when facing the Eagles, despite a clear correlation in past results for the Reds.
In 50 competitive matches since 1969, Liverpool have just lost 11 of those fixtures and have won 25.
Not the usual statistics of a so-called bogey team, but for some reason a game at Selhurst Park strikes fear.
Here is a list of the five most notable competitive games between the two clubs in history.
5. Liverpool 1-3 Crystal Palace (May 2015)
Steven Gerrard’s final game at Anfield and one that wasn’t fitting as a representation to his entire career as a whole.
In the 37th game of the campaign, Crystal Palace ran out 3-1 winners in a rare home defeat for Liverpool.
After their golden season in 2013/14, Liverpool took time to rebuild and this game was the season after, with Liverpool taking 6th position overall.
Brendan Rodgers would leave the club the following November and be replaced by Jurgen Klopp.
A year after the infamous match at Selhurst Park, Palace went on a nice streak against Liverpool, with none better than a 3-1 win at Anfield.
Goals from Jason Puncheon, Wilfired Zaha and Glenn Murray cancelled out Adam Lallana’s opener to give the visitors all three points in a season where they finished 10th overall which was the highest for them in Premier League history.
4. Liverpool 4-3 Crystal Palace (January 2019)
The most recent fixture in the series and one that Liverpool came away with a serious sign of relief from.
With Liverpool challenging for the league title, the nervy Anfield game could have easily turned into another game for Liverpool to wonder about for years, but a second-half turn around ensured they didn’t.
With Palace already making Manchester City slip up away from home a few weeks prior, Andros Townsend’s goal in the first half added instant pressure, but one Liverpool responsed well to like they did all last season.
Two goals for Mohammed Salah, one for Roberto Firmino and one for Sadio Mane saw Liverpool take all three points, not without drama however.
James Milner received his marching orders for a second bookable offence in the 89th and a 95th minute Max Meyer goal gave Liverpool another two-minute scare in the latter stages.
Scenes of jubilation followed the win with Jurgen Klopp understanding the overcome of pressure his team had accomplished.
The fixture ultimately was vital for Liverpool in continuing their close to perfect run towards the title, that ultimately wasn’t enough to top Manchester City who finished on 98 points.
3. Liverpool 9-0 Crystal Palace (September 1989)
Picture by GaHetNa under Creative Commons License
Liverpool’s biggest ever recorded win in the top flight and Palace’s heaviest defeat.
When the Eagles came to Anfield as a newly-promoted side in 1989, they surely couldn’t have expected that big of a gap between them and Liverpool.
They found out the hard way however, with Liverpool putting nine past them with eight entirely different goalscorers.
Goals from Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley and six more set the Reds up for a successful camapign in which they won their 18th and latest domestic league title to date.
Palace would gone on to finish 15th that year.
2. Liverpool 5-0 Crystal Palace (January 2001)
After losing the first leg of the League Cup semi-final fixture 2-1, Liverpool returned to Anfield and proved why they deserved to be in the final with a dominant 5-0 win over the London side.
Two goals from Danny Murphy and one from Robbie Fowler, Igor Biscan and Vladimir Smicer saw Liverpool win the tie 7-2 on aggregate.
The eventual penalty-shootout win over Birmingham City in the final at the Millennium Stadium was the first of three major trophies for Liverpool that year, which included the FA Cup and UEFA Cup.
Without the dominant win in the semi-finals, Liverpool may never of gathered the momentum to win a treble that year.
1. Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool (May 2014)
Picture by Badudoy under Creative Commons License
The most infamous of results between the pair.
The result that football fans will always remember and point the finger to as the figurehead for Liverpool not winning the league in the 2013/14 season.
In hindsight, a win still wouldn’t have seen Liverpool lift their first Premier League trophy, but it was still a dark day in the club’s history.
Losing a 3-0 lead in 11 minutes to mid-table Crystal Palace that left Luis Suarez in tears and the club in disarray at the outcome.
A late double by Dwight Gayle on the night has forever haunted the Liverpool crowd.
A win was seemingly guaranteed when Joe Allen, Delaney (og) and Luis Suarez put them 3-0 up but Palace’s comeback was complete with Gayle’s 88th minute strike.
The Reds needed to win the last three games of the season to lift the league trophy, but would go on to end up losing the league to Manchester City after a loss to Chelsea then the draw to Palace.
The fixture on Saturday at Selhurst Park is the latest installment in the unusual rivalry.
Both Mohammed Salah and Andy Robertson are doubts for the game.
A win for Liverpool would be another mental edge solved in the search for an unknown Premier League title for the European Champions.
Gerrard picture by Ben Sutherland under Creative Commons License
