Liverpool out to rediscover winning feeling against tricky Crystal Palace
The EPL champions have been in poor form since clinching the trophy in end-April
NEARLY a month after clinching the English Premier League (EPL) trophy for a record-equalling 20th time, new champions Liverpool have seemingly forgotten what it is like to win again.
The Reds have taken just one point from the three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Apr 27.
Liverpool let slip a two-goal lead in a draw with Arsenal on May 11, which was sandwiched by defeats away to Brighton and Chelsea.
Maybe the slump in results and performances should not have been that surprising. Many of the players, and perhaps even the manager Arne Slot himself, are probably already thinking about the beach and their summer vacations, instead of going all-out on the pitch.
Slot has admitted that motivating his players for the final few weeks of the season was difficult. Before the trip to Brighton last weekend, the Liverpool squad were busy celebrating and partying at a luxury resort in Dubai.
The Dutch manager was also on a mini-break in Ibiza around the same time. “Did you see me on social media?” he said with a laugh in reply to a reporter who asked how focused he had been on the Brighton game.
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Eagles keen to ruin the party
Liverpool will receive their EPL trophy in front of a sold-out Anfield stadium on Sunday (May 25, 11 pm kickoff, Singapore time), ahead of their season finale against the new FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
The players and staff will then embark on an open-top bus parade through the city on Monday, with tens of thousands of supporters expected to line the streets to greet their heroes.
This match is notable for it will be defender Trent Alexander-Arnold’s last appearance for the club. The 26-year-old England international is set to leave when his contract expires this week and will move to Real Madrid.
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Liverpool’s top scorer Mohamed Salah is still in the hunt for the European Golden Shoe award, as he is now third on the list behind Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres (the Swedish striker’s season is already over) and Real Madrid’s French superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Should Salah find the net against Crystal Palace and outscore Mbappe by two goals, it is the Egyptian hotshot who will claim the award.
That will be easier said than done, however, against the Eagles (Palace’s nickname) who are still on a high after their historic FA Cup victory over Manchester City at Wembley last weekend.
That was the first major trophy in their 119-year history, and they paraded the cup at their home Selhurst Park stadium in style on Thursday before they romped to a 4-2 victory over Wolves.
What is more, the Eagles are unbeaten in their last two visits to Anfield, and won this same fixture last season with the only goal scored by Eberechi Eze – the very same player who netted the winning FA Cup goal a week ago.
Palace are in 12th place in the EPL standings and could finish as high as ninth with another win over Liverpool, and if other results go their way too.
With more than just pride at stake for both sides, all signs point to an open and free-flowing encounter that should see a hatful of goals.
Extended partnership
Liverpool’s final two home games of the 2024/25 season – the 2-2 draw against Arsenal on May 11 and this Sunday’s game against Palace – are occasions for the club’s long-time partner Standard Chartered (StanChart) to celebrate too.
Since 2010, the bank has brought more than 300 corporate and affluent clients, including several from Singapore, to the stadium to enjoy money-can’t-buy experiences.
For the match against Arsenal, one client’s child was a mascot and walked alongside the Reds as the team entered the pitch before kickoff.
And during half-time, a group of five clients, accompanied by the bank’s Global and Singapore International Banking head James Lye, took penalty kicks against the club’s former goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.
Some clients are already at Anfield to watch Sunday’s match against Palace, and they will also get the opportunity to catch the victory parade on Monday.
StanChart began its partnership with Liverpool in 2010. In July 2022, this was extended for four more years through to the end of the 2026/27 season.
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