Crystal Palace fans had a plethora of talking points to go through after Sunday’s remarkable 1-0 win over Liverpool.
There was the fantastic 21-pass move building up to Ebere Eze’s goal, which prompted Jurgen Klopp to saw “wow” as the German stood on the sideline in disbelief.
Fans also witnessed a stunning goal line clearance from Nathaniel Clyne and another heroic block from Tyrick Mitchell – while Dean Henderson also pulled off a string of excellent stops.
However, one moment in the 96th minute left thousands of Crystal Palace fans baffled…
Why Liverpool were awarded a 96th minute freekick against Crystal Palace
Well, slight nervousness turned to sheer panic among Crystal Palace fans watching indoors on Sunday when Sky Sports cameras showed Liverpool preparing to lob a freekick into the box – only seconds after it seemed like the final whistle was just an Alisson goal kick away.
Fortunately, nothing came of it, but those watching on TV were left none the wiser about why Liverpool were actually awarded the set-piece by Chris Kavanagh, and also why it saw Jefferson Lerma receive a yellow card.
Now, We Are Palace have been told by those at Anfield that it happened following an altercation between Mohamed Salah and the Colombia international.
Lerma is said to have been seen engaging in an off the ball incident with the Egypt international, with eye witnesses accusing the South American of allegedly giving the Liverpool No.11 a small kick, which was spotted by the linesman.
Some on X (previously known as Twitter) also shared their account of the situation.
It landed the Colombian an eighth yellow card of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, but fortunately, did not cost us two points.
Jefferson Lerma might have a new position
Lerma has been a formidable presence in midfield for us this season, although when Cheick Doucoure returns and – most likely – partners Adam Wharton, we believe Oliver Glasner will keep the Crystal Palace No.8 involved as part of the back three, depending on who arrives or leaves this summer.
The 29-year-old put in a quite outstanding display as a central defender against Liverpool, helping Tyrick Mitchell keep Mohamed Salah silent with two tackles, four interceptions and eight clearances, as WhoScored shows.
Lerma has been too good to drop this season, but Doucoure and Wharton also cannot be benched when available to play together, so we think the South American may well have a new position next season – especially if Marc Guehi or Joachim Andersen depart.
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