Ten-man Liverpool snatch late equaliser to preserve unbeaten title-winning season

Premier League champions Liverpool staged a comeback to secure a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in their season finale, commemorating the occasion by hoisting the league trophy before their fans for the first time in 35 years.

The atmosphere was electric prior to kick-off, with the PL and FA Cup champions extending a guard of honour, while festive balloons adorned the pitch until referee Darren England instructed them to be deflated as the match commenced.

Despite falling behind early on, Liverpool’s spirit remained unshaken. In the ninth minute, Ismaila Sarr capitalised on a defensive error, intercepting Tyrick Mitchell’s pass and clinically slotting the ball past Alisson Becker.

The Reds maintained their pressure against a stubborn Palace defence, with Mitchell successfully keeping record-chasing Mohamed Salah at bay, while Cody Gakpo frequently encountered obstacles when attempting to manoeuvre inwards.

As the half-hour neared, Liverpool began to carve out chances, with Luis Diaz coming close as his effort narrowly missed the target. Moments later, he headed over from a good position.

Although Jean-Philippe Mateta found the back of the net for Palace, he was flagged offside prior to scoring. Diaz grew frustrated as Dean Henderson made an excellent save to deny him, prompting the winger to kick the post in frustration.

Trent Alexander-Arnold received a warm welcome as he came on at the start of the second half, but again Liverpool’s advances faced a setback when Salah’s shot was blocked by Maxence Lacroix.

The Reds looked increasingly threatening, and manager Arne Slot made a bold move in the 62nd minute by introducing Alexander-Arnold, whose exquisite assist for Darwin Nunez was thwarted by the onrushing goalkeeper, Henderson.

However, the Reds suffered a setback moments later as Ryan Gravenberch received a straight red card for bringing down Daichi Kamada when he was the last man, leaving him ineligible for the start of the next season.

Undeterred, Liverpool pushed forward, and after Diogo Jota struck the post, they finally found the equaliser in the 85th minute as Salah netted a deflected goal that beat Henderson, marking a historic 47 goal contributions in a single PL season.

The Anfield crowd erupted with joy as they celebrated both the goal and the PL trophy presentation. Meanwhile, Palace’s draw secured them an unbeaten run of eight matches across all competitions to conclude their season.