Crystal Palace fuming at Christian Benteke’s ‘dive’

Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2: The manner in which Christian Benteke went to ground to win a decisive penalty — converted by the forward himself — in the final minute of added time, sparked furious debate, with Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew angrily accusing the Liverpool striker of diving.

Beyond dispute, however, was the fact that Liverpool had overcome the dismissal of James Milner to claim a valuable victory that will only bolster confidence ahead of this week’s Europa League meeting with Manchester United.

Having recovered from the double blow of falling behind to Joe Ledley’s 49th-minute goal and Milner’s sending off 13 minutes later, Liverpool appeared destined to settle for a point after Roberto Firmino’s 71st-minute equaliser.