Liverpool won by a seven-goal margin away from home for the first time in their 106-year top-flight history as they humiliate Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park.
With Mohamed Salah on the bench from the start, not in the Liverpool XI for the first time this season in the Premier League, Takumi Minamino wasted no time in firing Liverpool into a third-minute lead with his first-ever Premier League goal.
Palace pressed for a leveller but, somewhat against the run of play, Sadio Mane fired a brilliant second into the net in the 35th minute, before Roberto Firmino made it three just before half time after a fine counter-attack from the champions.
There was no letting up after the break from Liverpool, as Jordan Henderson made it four seven minutes into the second half, Firmino scored a fifth with a sumptuous finish and Salah helped himself to a late double off the bench as Liverpool open up a six-point lead at the top of the table in frightening style, with rivals still to play this weekend.
Minamino has not enjoyed the best start to life at Liverpool, but his early strike, expertly finished after being picked out by Mane, saw him become just the seventh Japanese player to score in the Premier League.
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Palace responded well, but their final pass let them down time and again, and all it took was a Firmino pass into Mane, who took two touches, one to get the ball out of his feet before rifling a strike into the net, to punish the host. Mane is the top-scoring player against Palace in Premier League history with 10 goals.
Firmino then got in on the act when he collected Andrew Robertson’s brilliant cross before firing home to put Liverpool in control by the break. Palace came out early for the second half, but they will have wished they’d not have bothered.
Henderson curled a superb fourth into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area, before Firmino lofted a lovely fifth after yet another lightning counter-attack. Palace were on the ropes, and Liverpool finished them off with two more from Salah, who replaced a very unhappy Mane, one with his head and arguably the pick of the bunch late on to cap an incredible afternoon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
