Isak seals Liverpool win as Crystal Palace slump deepens under Sage

Liverpool returned to winning form in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace, easing pressure on Andoni Iraola's side while intensifying scrutiny on their struggling hosts.

Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool ahead late in the first half, heading in from a well-worked free-kick routine. Florian Wirtz extended the lead 14 minutes into the second period, finishing first time after Bradley Barcola's low pull-back picked him out inside the box.

Alexander Isak made it three late on, his seventh league goal of the season, before Eddie Nketiah converted a stoppage-time penalty, awarded after a foul by Milos Kerkez, for a consolation that barely dented the scoreline.

Wirtz's second goal came after he timed a run into the box as Liverpool broke down the right, with Barcola supplying a precise ball into his path. Wirtz pointed to the quality of that service when discussing the goal afterwards.

'It was a great pass to Bradley [Barcola], into the space. The manager was talking so much to us to arrive into the box and I think we had three players in there. Luckily the ball came to me and I could score,' he told reporters, as relayed by Yahoo Sports.

The win let Liverpool move past consecutive defeats, having lost at home to Arsenal in the Premier League and away to Fenerbahce in the Champions League during the week. Wirtz described the display as a team effort built on efficient finishing rather than chance volume.

'It was a good game from us, really happy about the win and that's all that counts. We were efficient in front of the goal. We didn't have so many big chances... well, maybe we did, I don't know, but it felt like we didn't so scoring three goals is always good. We defended quite well so a good team performance,' Wirtz said.

He also pointed to the importance of Mac Allister's opener, which arrived despite Palace having a goal of their own disallowed earlier in the half. 'It was really important, also with their disallowed goal. It was good momentum for us going into the break. It made the game a bit easier or more open for us. It was a good moment to score,' Wirtz added.

The victory lifted Liverpool into the Premier League's top four and extended their away record to 13 points this season, the highest total in the division, a figure Yahoo Sports noted also equals the club's best-ever return from the opening five away league fixtures of a campaign.

Wirtz said the squad's travelling form reflects belief in the quality available to Iraola. 'We are always confident because we know what a team we have and what quality we have. It doesn't matter if it's away from home but, for sure, we need to get more players in the home games,' he said.

For Crystal Palace, the defeat was a fourth straight league loss, leaving them bottom of the table. Pierre Sage has taken just seven points from a possible 30 since replacing Oliver Glasner, a run that both Sky Sports Football and Yahoo Sports described as placing the head coach under mounting scrutiny.

Liverpool's attention now turns to maintaining their improved away form as they look to build on their return to the top four, while Palace face the task of arresting a run of results that has left Sage's position increasingly precarious.