Mile High: Another Clubbing for Liverpool Courtesy of Jedinak

It was arguably the goal of the round from Australian captain Mile Jedinak that ultimately sunk Liverpool to another low in the latest round of the English Premier League. Asked to step up from 35 yards out, Jedinak executed a Beckham-like freekick to send the home crowd into raptures and consign Liverpool to five straight games in the league without a win. It was a draw at the same ground last year, which cost Liverpool the title and had their leading scorer Luis Suarez weeping for a new home over the summer. This time, it was a result that sends them spiraling towards the bottom of the league and a particularly magical response to salvage something from their season.

 

It was the 80th minute and Crystal Palace had all of the momentum heading towards the final stages of the match that could potentially drag them away from the relegation zone. Jedinak accepted to step up to the spot in the driving rain with a nonchalant manner, and the potential to land the killer blow to Liverpool at Selhurst Park. What happened next had the fans and management jumping out of their seats in delirious delight.

The Socceroo’s central defensive midfielder curled his kick from the spot into the top right corner of the net, despite a desperate yet despairing dive from the keeper. It was a strike that would have had the masters of the game like Ronaldo and Beckham applauding. It was his fourth goal in seven outings.

Liverpool were seeking a much needed confidence-boost for the run into Christmas, but instead met a sturdy resilience from a side unwilling to compromise in front of their home fans. Palace conceded first inside three minutes, but grafted their way back into the game to leave it in the balance with ten minutes to go before Jedinak closed it out to take the three points.

Brendan Rodgers now has a crisis on his hands at Anfield, with his stars under performing and confidence among the squad at rock bottom. It appears they require a miracle to salvage something from their season, yet with the likes of Gerrard, Balotelli and Coutinho on their roster they stand a slim chance of changing their own fortunes. Life after Suarez has exposed the club and its management, leaving a void of resilience and a large group of fans losing patience rapidly.

In other results, Newcastle’s revival continued as they accounted for QPR at St James Park with a brilliant finish from Moussa Sissoko separating the sides. Manchester United leapt into the Top Four with a stunning 2-1 win over Arsenal overshadowed by a potential headbutt from Jack Wilshere on Marouane Fellaini. Yaya Toure returned to his best with a classy finish to ensure Manchester City saved face against a stubborn Swansea City with a 2-1 win. Finally, Diego Costa was unforgiving in his quest for goals providing one towards Chelsea’s 2-0 over West Bromwich.