Gayle blows Liverpool dream away

Crystal Palace 3 Liverpool 3

At 3-0 up and cruising Liverpool were on a mission and that mission was to carry on scoring and eat into City’s goal difference advantage that had stood at nine at the start of the day and had been brought down to six.

But the cavalier attitude that has won Brendan Rodgers’ players so many accolades this season turned out to be their undoing as they allowed Palace to pull off one of the most jaw-dropping comebacks in living memory.

Having watched his side cave in, Rodgers admitted: “I think Man City will go on and win it now.

“Really poor defending cost us. Palace showed great spirit at 3-0 down but we have to manage the game better than that.”

Gayle, a Palace punt of a signing last summer having come up the ranks at Stansted, Dagenham and Peterborough, came off the bench to make it happen with two goals after Republic of Ireland international Damien Delaney had pulled one back.

It means Liverpool are now only a point ahead of City, who cash in their game in hand at home to Aston Villa tomorrow night, and they will require a huge upset at the Etihad on Sunday, when West Ham are the visitors, as well as a Liverpool win at home to Newcastle. Suarez clearly doesn’t think it will happen as he left the field with his shirt over his face to hide emotions that were only too obvious.

Liverpool had been so impressive from the off and went close through Suarez and Glen Johnson a goal was clearly coming. When Daniel Sturridge’s curler was deflected for a corner Joe Allen scampered away from Joe Ledley, his bewildered marker, to nod home in the 18th minute.

It was the midfielder’s first Liverpool goal — and the first time Palace had been caught out from a set-piece under Tony Pulis.

Then it was back to Suarez. A wild scoop over following quick feet from the roaming Raheem Sterling was followed by another Julian Speroni save low at his near post.

The second half began with the Uruguayan going down in the box claiming Scott Dann had blocked him but Palace were looking potent too, although Ledley wasted a chance to redeem himself with a tame shot.

Suddenly it should have been 2-0 but Speroni managed to tip another Sturridge curler on to his right-hand post and Suarez blazed the rebound wide.

The reprieve was short-lived, however, as Liverpool scored from their next attack when Sturridge’s scuffed shot was deflected past the Argentinian off Delaney.

Now it was all about how many Liverpool could score and Suarez, having exchanged a quick one-two with Sterling, slotted number three past Speroni within two minutes.

Johnson, operating more as an extra winger than a right-back, was next to have a go but Speroni tipped his drive over. Sturridge then latched on to a poor Palace back-pass but Sterling’s shot was blocked.

Suddenly Operation Goal Difference had to be abandoned when Delaney smacked one in from 25 yards and substitute Gayle made it 3-2 within two minutes.

Liverpool’s only task now was to hang on to their 3-2 lead at all costs, just as City had done at Everton on Saturday evening.

But they could not do it.

Just two minutes were remaining when Glenn Murray, another Palace substitute, flicked on a header and Gayle slotted past Simon Mignolet.

Inevitably the cameras swung to capture Rodgers’ hang-dog expression. An entire season of hard work, almost gone in the space of a few seconds.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Speroni 9; Mariappa 6, Dann 7, Delaney 8, Ward 6; Dikgacoi 7 (Ince 85), Jedinak 6; Puncheon 5 (Gayle 65, 9), Ledley 5, Bolasie 6; Chamakh 5 (Murray 71).

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 8; Johnson 7, Skrtel 7, Sakho 7, Flanagan 6; Lucas 6, Gerrard 7, Allen 7; Sterling 7 (Coutinho 78), Sturridge 7, Suarez 7.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg.