Former Liverpool season ticket holder Scott Dann popped up eight minutes from time to earn Crystal Palace all three points at Anfield this afternoon.

It was a memorable return to Merseyside for the Eagles defender, who reacted quicker than Roberto Firmino to nod in the all-decisive goal late on.

Philippe Coutinho had earlier cancelled out Yannick Bolasie's opener, but it was to be Palace who were left smiling at the end of an entertaining contest.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look back at how the match was won and lost on Merseyside.

Match statistics

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 22
On target: 4
Possession: 64%
Corners: 14
Fouls: 7

Crystal Palace
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 36%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 6

Was the result fair?

While Liverpool found themselves on top for large parts, this was a fine team display by Palace to snatch all three points late on. With no recognised striker on the pitch, Alan Pardew had to flex his tactical muscle somewhat by naming Bolasie as a false nine in what appeared to be an unorthodox 4-4-2/4-2-4 hybrid. It worked, too, as for large parts of the opening quarter of the game Liverpool struggled to really get to grips with their opponents.

It was only after Palace had taken a deserved lead through Bolasie that the Reds started to click into gear and, after a prolonged spell of pressure that saw Christian Benteke squander a couple of decent openings, Brazilian magician Coutinho rounded off a decent team move to level things up. Large parts of the second half remained incredibly open, with the contest poised on a knife edge, but in the end it was Pardew's men who came out on top thank to Dann's header at the second attempt.

Liverpool's performance

Klopp may have made many wise decisions since being appointed, but fielding Coutinho on the left side of a 4-3-2-1 simply did not work in the opening 20 minutes or so. The attacking midfielder was later moved into his preferred slot behind the striker, where he could create chances for others and ultimately rescue his side late in the first half.

Liverpool's defending was not the greatest throughout, either, not particularly helped by Mamadou Sakho hobbling off with a knee injury early on. That allowed Dejan Lovren to come on, and the Croatia international actually proved to be one of his side's best attacking players with a header saved off the line and another diverted narrowly wide.

It is now just one Premier League clean sheet in nine for the Reds - a pretty telling statistic - and just two wins in seven at Anfield. Klopp's six-game unbeaten run since taking charge, including three wins on the bounce in separate competitions prior to this afternoon, underlines the positive early work the German has achieved. Today really did go a long way to showing that more is still required, though, with the Merseyside outfit's hopes of finishing in the top four appearing slimmer by the week.

Crystal Palace's performance

If there is one side Liverpool do not like facing off against, it is Crystal Palace. In each of the past three seasons now the Eagles have proved to be the ultimate party-poopers; first effectively ending their opponents' title hopes and seeing Steven Gerrard's Anfield farewell end in tears of the wrong kind, before today inflicting a first defeat in 13 on Klopp's men.

There is plenty for Pardew to be pleased about this evening following yet another away success, with his remarkable record on the road since taking over at Selhurst Park last season continuing with this latest triumph. The defensive performance from his side was spot on, with each player giving their all to shut out the hosts. Pape Souare, in fact, had to see out the final 25 minutes or so with a bandaged head following an earlier collision with the advertising hoardings.

That said a lot about the will to win, while in attack Wilfried Zaha showed signs of his best form to create numerous openings, including the opener which Bolasie smashed home. The ex-Manchester United winger also laid one on a plate for Bakary Sako to put the visiting side ahead 64 minutes in, only for the forward to fire into the side-netting. It ultimately did not matter in the end, but it is fair to say that Pardew would have been hugely disappointed had his charges not gone on to win the game after that.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Damien Delaney: This accolade would ideally be shared by Zaha and Delaney, who both played a big part in this memorable win in their own way. Zaha's attacking threat caused Liverpool plenty of problems, including Nathaniel Clyne who was walking a tightrope following a cynical challenge. Delaney just about edged it for keeping the Reds at bay for large parts, however, providing the springboard for others to claim all the plaudits.

Biggest gaffe

Sako really should have been putting the ball in the net, or at the very least testing Simon Mignolet, when picked out unmarked inside the box. Jason Puncheon's shot seven minutes after the restart really was something else, though, with his right-footed effort ending next to the corner flag.

Referee performance

No real contentious decisions for Neil Swarbrick to deal with all afternoon. Benteke - far from his prolific best - did go down at one stage when getting to the ball before Dann, but the referee was right to wave away the quiet appeals.

What next?

Liverpool: A meeting with top-of-the-table Manchester City awaits Klopp's side following the international break. Momentum needs to be found if they are to climb back into the higher reaches of the division.

Crystal Palace: A nice run of fixtures for the South London club begins with the visit of Sunderland in two weeks' time, before a clash against Pardew's former suitors Newcastle United the following week.