Dwight Gayle reels away in celebration after scoring Crystal Palace's late equaliser
The travelling Liverpool fans belted out "we're going to win the league" around Selhurst Park last night after their side had taken a commanding three goal lead against Crystal Palace. This happened before Tony Pulis' team completed the shock comeback of the season in order to crush any last hope of the Premier League title going to Merseyside. Perhaps the opportunity had already been blown but this 3-3 draw was one of the final nails in the coffin. They can still, mathematically, win the league but Manchester City would have to fail spectacularly with only Aston Villa and West Ham to play, both at the Etihad.
A true fall apart, some have described last night's action as "Istanbul in reverse". Cruising to the point where the foot was mildly off the pedal in terms of finishing, the visiting fans yelled "attack, attack, attack!" in anticipation of another high-scoring, dominant victory. Tony Pulis had other ideas, however. A good manager will still have a game plan when his side are trailing by two goals going into the last twenty minutes but rarely can a boss change things when three behind. Pulis saw a weakness in Liverpool's defence and his impact sub, Dwight Gayle, was deployed to devastating effect. The ex-Arsenal youth player, who had to drop down to non-league football at one stage, ripped The Reds' defence apart with his pace and bagged a superb brace to crush Liverpool's spirit.
Pulis deserves massive credit and should probably be awarded the Manager of the Year prize which had been booked for Brendan Rodgers had he been able to secure a long-awaited but unlikely league title win. With nothing to work with resources-wise, Pulis has turned this Palace side into one of the most stubborn in the Premier League, a complete transformation from the Ian Holloway-led relegation candidates that started out the season.
Long-ball Stoke jokes are out of fashion as Pulis demonstrates his managerial chops at Palace
Luis Suarez had to cover his face after the final whistle as captain Steven Gerrard put his arm around him and shoved cameramen away as he attempted to console the Uruguayan. Only weeks earlier, Gerrard had been kissing cameras, so optimistic was the mood around the club. We can't tell whether Suarez was even crying beneath the veil of his jersey. He could have just as easily been laughing hysterically in irony, incredulous that Liverpool could concede so many after he and strike partner Daniel Sturridge ripped apart opposition defences with their combined 52 league goals this term.
This entire whirlwind of events has left audiences puzzled, neutrals unsure how to take it all in. A month or two ago, Liverpool had become many fans' (Manchester United and Everton followers excluded) second team with their dazzling displays of attacking football. Now their defending has become so farcical that it's hard to respect their almost suicidal insistence on only attempting to outscore their opponents. The positivity has soured and hope went from cockiness to what is currently despair. On the whole, however, Liverpool should still consider this season a success looking at their improvement in league position. They would have happily taken second place when asked at the start of the campaign.
What happens next season is intriguing. Having missed out on the title, Suarez will be more tempted than ever should Real Madrid come knocking. It's a once in a lifetime chance to play at the world's most successful club and it will be very hard to keep him. The received fee could be astronomical and that would allow Brendan Rodgers to invest in some real defenders and a Suarez replacement. Someone like Juventus' Carlos Tevez would be ideal should he become available. The restructuring need not be dramatic but it will need to take place with the possibility of a resurgent Man United competing with and against City, Chelsea and Arsenal next season.
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