Crystal Palace drop threat is very slim - but they are in danger of delivering a huge anti-climax

Crystal Palace have killed off a Liverpool title dream and popped the balloons on Steven Gerrard’s Anfield farewell party - so this defeat hardly evens the scores.

Relegation is still a distant threat despite the woeful form being shown by the Eagles. Just be thankful that their slide only started from mid-December and not a few weeks sooner, otherwise their position would be a whole lot more desperate.

Aston Villa were gone long ago. And Norwich and Newcastle are nine points behind Palace with as many games left to play. One bookie has them 28/1 to be relegated. It simply won’t happen.

But Alan Pardew’s side are in danger of one thing that hasn’t been used to describe their seasons since the club came out of administration in 2010 - anti-climax.

If Palace get knocked out of the FA Cup at his former club Reading on Friday night then there is no way of sugarcoating a campaign that promised so much up to Christmas and will have delivered so little.

That competition remains a chance for the South London club to still salvage something of substance.

It’s often said that form goes out of the window in the FA Cup, and the Eagles will gladly embrace that.

Life in the Premier League has been wretched for them since Big Ben chimed in 2016.

Some statistics can be manipulated for the sake of an argument. But not 12 top-flight matches without a win. Not four points from a possible 36.

And while injuries have helped to wreck Palace’s season - it was entirely in keeping that bang-in-form Connor Wickham was ruled out with a fresh knock - you can’t hide behind excuses.

Alex McCarthy’s slip as he went to clear a pass back handed Roberto Firmino a gift-wrapped chance to cancel out Joe Ledley’s goal - with Liverpool down to 10 men and struggling to fashion openings.

But it was unforgiveable how Jurgen Klopp’s Reds took control following James Milner’s dismissal.

That should have been the point at which the screw was turned. Instead Palace played without intelligence and allowed themselves to be dominated.

The Eagles sat deep and nullified their numerical advantage. A lack of pressing helped Liverpool play without pressure - led by Philippe Coutinho. Jordon Mutch, Bakary Sako and Dwight Gayle combined could not match the pintsize Brazilian’s industry or control.

Liverpool had 62 per cent of the possession and ran 113 kilometres as a team - two more than Palace. In the match-deciding final phases the hosts failed to stay in control.

They could easily have been behind before Christian Benteke’s late winner. Alberto Moreno struck the base of the post and McCarthy partially redeemed himself by denying the big Belgian after Coutinho threaded a ball through the Eagles backline.

Palace had been the better team for the first hour but in a results’ business they are not getting anywhere near enough of them.

An eighth defeat in this miserable spell came in the sixth minute of time added on. Replays showed that Damien Delaney’s right knee made contact with Benteke’s heel and down he went.

Gamesmanship? Maybe. The merest of touches? Definitely. But Pardew would surely have celebrated without compassion if the situation had been turned around. Benteke’s penalty was ice cool. He waited for McCarthy to dive during his run up before rolling the ball into the opposite corner.

At times like this - Palace are only three games shy of the 15-match winless top-flight run in 1997-98 - the manager is scrutinised, perhaps more so then the personnel he puts out on the pitch.

More money has been spent on the squad. But has it made them stronger?

Wickham has looked the biggest potential success of the major signings - spells on the sidelines disrupting him.

Yohan Cabaye has failed to live up to his superstar billing.

Either the team is not set up right around the French international, or his inclusion has knocked the midfield out of sync and left Jason Puncheon marginalised before his injury.

McCarthy had made high-profile mistakes since joining from QPR - even if Sunday was more down to misfortune. Bakary Sako has a whole lot to do to convince he can deliver on English football’s highest stage.

If Palace miss out on an FA Cup semi final then a furious inquisition will really commence.

Give him wings, let him fly- Is Alberto Moreno the left winger for Liverpool?

If you listen carefully to the commentator’s remarks throughout the game, you will understand the enigma that Alberto Moreno is.

"And a cross comes into the box, oh, Alberto Moreno almost gets on the end of it."

Alberto Moreno isn't a bad player; in actuality, he's pretty good. His runs on the left are evidence of his quality; his dribbling, speed and distribution (crossing and interplay with midfield players) is even eye-catching at times. His wrongfully disallowed volley at St. James' Park in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle earlier this season, was absolutely world class. And when it comes to striking it from a distance, he is certainly no pushover.

The issue? He's playing at left back. His love for forward runs often means he's caught out of position. He is highly dependent on his speed to recover back to his position. With Liverpool suffering problems at the back, the positional discipline becomes even more important.

Nathaniel Clyne, Moreno's  counterpart on the right, has similar exploits on the right side of the pitch. However, the difference is Clyne's perception of position, maintaining an awareness of how much he'll have to do to in order to be able to return to his defensive duties.

"Liverpool caught out on the left again as their opponents move forward."

Moreno's runs sometimes not only leaves himself stranded, but his team scampering for cover. While he is pretty strong on the ball, his stature doesn’t allow him to have a real aerial presence (0.4 aerial battles won per game). To top it all off, his defensive decisiveness is questionable, committing to rash tackles at times when it’s simply unnecessary.

However, in all fairness, he has improved defensively: he’s averaging 2.9 tackles per game compared to 1.9 tackles last season. The number of fouls per game has also taken a dip to 0.9 from 1.3, while making 1.8 interceptions per match, up from 1.2 last season. His attacking game has also improved, with 1.8 key passes per game (up from 1.2) and an assist in all three competitions this season.

The above-mentioned weaknesses remain deeply etched in the minds of Liverpool fans because of the Red’s frailty at the back in recent times. Until the core of Liverpool's defence is rectified, it is essential that all deployed defenders contribute to defending the Liverpool goal. 

The question we’re left with is simply, can Liverpool depend upon Moreno to have that discipline? Or does he have the flair to be played solely as an attacking player at left midfield or on the left wing? It’s an intriguing proposition, as his link-up play with the likes of Coutinho, Firmino, and Lallana in the final third shows real promise. He certainly offers more pace and creativity with the ball than Milner or the currently out of form/unfit Henderson. 

"Unnecessary foul there by Alberto Moreno, a pretty rash and unnecessary challenge by the Spaniard.

The primary issue is the personnel who replaces Moreno at the back. Brad Smith and Joe Flanagan are direct options if the experiment is attempted this season, with Joe Gomez an option when he returns if the assessment is carried out in the summer. The young Englishman has played in the position before, not enough to confirm however not enough to consider him as a secondary option. But, the time he has spent there, he has looked a natural.

The secondary issue is the return of Lazar Markovic, who Klopp wants to have a look at this summer. If he is a part of Klopp’s plans, then Lazar’s preference for the right wing will increase competition for a developing Jordon Ibe on both sides. On the plus side, it will provide Liverpool with an additional player without having to go out and purchase another $15 million hit or miss.

However, if this isn’t a part of Klopp’s plans for the future then Moreno will need to improve defensively. At the age of 23 and with several other players for his position, the Spaniard has time and impetus to work with. Still, it's a proposition, that if implemented, might just benefit the Reds in the long run.