Football: Lallana winner helps Liverpool exact sweet Cup revenge on Palace

Liverpool's Adam Lallana celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the English FA Cup fifth round soccer match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Photo / AP

Liverpool have waited a long time to avenge the famous FA Cup semifinal defeat of 1990, when Alan Pardew's goal won for the underdogs Crystal Palace, and yesterday they fought back admirably from conceding an early goal to do so 2-1 at Selhurst Park.

Bad memories of the Anfield club's past two visits to Selhurst Park - a costly 3-3 draw in April and a 3-1 defeat before Christmas - were also put behind them on a ground where they had won only one of their six previous games since 1997.

Even with a Europa League tie against Besiktas to come on Friday (NZ time), the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, could not be accused of downplaying the Cup, commendably fielding his strongest team. It was one without the injured Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling and if there were familiar concerns about the side's defending, a commitment to attacking enabled them to overturn Fraizer Campbell's goal with a pair of their own by Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana.

Palace and Pardew's Newcastle having already played - and beaten - Liverpool this season, the home team were well briefed and their tactics frustrated the visitors for long spells, even as Rodgers' side dominated possession. Joel Ward, nominally a fullback, was used as a man-marker on Philippe Coutinho, while lively wide men Yannick Bolasie and Dwight Gayle tried to keep pressure on the attack-minded wing-backs.

Their pace was all the more important once Palace scored and then set out to play on the counter. The goal followed a throw-in. Gayle sprinted down the middle in pursuit of Joe Ledley's lofted pass, which reached him via a misplaced back-header by Martin Skrtel. The Liverpool goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, did well to parry Gayle's header but the ball fell perfectly for Campbell to score with a side-foot volley.

Bolasie and Gayle had been brought in as two of five changes designed to freshen up the Palace side three days after playing Newcastle. There was a debut at left-back for Pape Souare, so Martin Kelly switched to the right.

Former club Liverpool, in contrast, made only two alterations from their last Premier League game, both of them enforced: Lallana was in for the ineligible Jordan Ibe and Joe Allen replaced Gerrard, whose hamstring strain will keep him out for two more weeks.

The captain was missed, although Liverpool were soon enjoying 70 per cent of possession. By half-time there had been only one other significant Palace chance, albeit a good one: Skrtel was again at fault, involuntarily jabbing Bolasie's pass to Gayle, who was thwarted at close range by Mignolet.

There were strong and possible deserving shouts for a Liverpool penalty when Souare appeared to take more of an aggrieved Sturridge than the ball.

Coutinho found it difficult to escape Ward. When he did, Scott Dann blocked one shot and Ward lay on top of the rebound, bringing further furious shouts for a penalty. Each side made a change at half-time, Palace's Jason Puncheon coming on for Marouane Chamakh, who had been playing with a face mask after breaking his nose at Everton, and Mario Balotelli making an appearance in place of Lazar Markovic.

The Italian did not have anything to do with his team's quick equaliser but was instrumental in helping them take the lead a few minutes later.

First, Henderson's perfect chip allowed Sturridge to drift in between the inattentive Kelly and Dann for a smartly struck left-footed volley.

Next Balotelli drove a 20m free-kick low through a gap in the Palace wall, forced open by Skrtel, and Speroni could only parry it to Lallana, who reacted quickly to tap in.

Palace pushed forward in greater numbers but were unable to force an equaliser.

- Independent