James Milner penalty and Sadio Mane late breakaway enough for Liverpool against spirited Crystal Palace

This was not the devastating swagger Liverpool are so capable of but it was the kind of ultra-professional, hard-fought win that may well mean so much this fledgling campaign as they threaten to mount a Premier League title challenge.

As professional, in fact, as the identity of their first goal-scorer, James Milner, with the Liverpool captain converting the precious penalty that was so fiercely disputed by Crystal Palace. In injury-time Sadio Mane broke away to add a second.

At the centre of the action, once again, was Mohamed Salah who earned that kick amid accusations he dived and also was later fouled by Aaron Wan-Bissaka with the full-back then rightly sent off.

But on this evidence not many teams will come to Selhurst Park and beat Palace and just maybe, on the day that Liverpool sent Loris Karius on loan to Turkish club Besiktas, Liverpool would not have earned this result without their impressive new goalkeeper Alisson. They confirmed they will be an even greater force this season.

9:51PM

Full time: Palace 0 Liverpool 2

No way back from that, barely time for a kick off. Liverpool have done it, and deserved it on balance. Report and reaction coming up.

9:51PM

GOAL! Palace 0 Liverpool 2 (Mane 90+)

... in fact, they clear it and a little bit more! Salah shows his composure, plays Sadio Mane in. Mane runs, runs, and runs some more. He's sprinting at top speed, van Aanholt tries to go with him, has a nibble, has another, Mane keeps on his feet and keeps going, he rounds the keeper, stays on his feet and slots it home. That is game, set and match to Liverpool.

9:49PM

90 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                      

Palace have a freekick in a great position. Milivojevic swings it in. Van Dijk heads behind. Liverpool clear the corner....

9:47PM

88 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                     

Plenty of huff and puff but not a lot else from Palace. Firmino is off the pitch needing a bit of treatment. "Who's the Scouser in the black?" sing the Palace fans. Bit unfair, I would say.

9:44PM

86 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                    

Keita comes off, Lallana on. Awful from Firmino as he hoofs it miles away from anyone.

9:42PM

84 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                   

Max Meyer replaces Jeffrey Schlupp.

Zaha doing what they paid him for when they gave him that no-doubt chunky new deal: producing a bit of magic. He tricks his way down the left and lashes a hard cross. It's BEGGING for someone to tap it in, but sadly for Palace nobody can quite get there.

9:40PM

84 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                  

Wayne H tips a Salah header over. Trent AA with a pinger of a corner. Gathered. Can Palace start something?

9:38PM

81 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                 

McArthur tries to trick his way through the area. Wijnaldum stops him with what looked a very good tackle to my eyes. But Palace fans think it was a foul.

9:37PM

79 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1                

Firmino crackles into life, helps Mane find an opening, and the latter hits his shot straight at the keeper.

Joel Ward replaces Andros Townsend.

9:37PM

78 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1               

Lovely move from Robertson and Keita, down the left, hard low cross. Sakho just gets in the way. Palace, with ten men, must somehow string some attacks together while not leaving themselves too vulnerable to Liverpool's rapier counters. Good luck with that.

9:34PM

76  mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1              

Salah himself takes the freekick. Flicks it nicely over the wall, but Tomkins manages to head behind. They clear the corner.

9:32PM

75 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1             

Oh no! Wan-Bissaka is being sent off. Salah bursts down the middle, Wan-Bissaka is in pursuit, he clips him and down goes Salah. Denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. Red card!

He was clean through. Nobody really has any complaints. Wan-Bissaka looks gutted, the poor kid.

9:31PM

72 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1            

Good spell from Palace. Wan-Bissaka manages to get clear down the right, sends over the cross, and it's the main man Zaha who gets hold. He manages to fire through legs but it's straight at Walter Becker. Easy. Needed a bit of a deflection.

9:27PM

69 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1           

Benteke hasn't had much change out of Van Dijk, and Roy reckons he might as well give Sørloth a crack.

Van Arnholt, terrific engine, footballing brain of a plant pot, does wonderfully to win the ball, then doesn't know what to do with it, and so loses it.

9:25PM

67 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1          

Corner for the Redmen. Salah to deliver it, two arms up in the air. Cleared. Palace have a quarter break but do not get the run of the ball.

9:24PM

66 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1         

Henderson replaces Milner. Two fantastic pros. One hilarious after-dinner act. Possibly.

9:23PM

65 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1        

Benteke bursts through, beating the offside trap, using all his formidable skill and power. But sadly his attempt at goal is mis-hit. And Andros was well placed...

9:21PM

63 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1       

Not a lot going on in the last three minutes or so, perhaps both managers will be thinking about how they can force the issue with half and hour to play.

9:17PM

60 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1      

Salah shows superb tekkers to volley it from the edge of the box. Schlupp heads it, instinctive, but that really could have gone anywhere. Looked like an OG candidate. Corner, as it turns out. They clear the corner.

Liverpool could have saved a few quid on Roberto Firmino's train ticket down from the North West. Guy has done nada.

9:16PM

59 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1     

Trent A-A with a nice ball in. Sakho clears it behind, he had little choice.

9:13PM

56 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1    

Palace piling it on. Corner. Benteke rises magnificently, imposingly, like a levitating double wardrobe. 

Linesman flags for something. Somebody's offside I think. Zaha I guess.

9:11PM

54 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1   

The boy Alisson is in action again. Palace are having their best spell of the match.

9:10PM

52 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1  

Young Trent A-A is getting a good test, a good lesson this evening, from Zaha, who has got the lot more or less. A pacy run here, Trent fouls him. Booked. Freekick. Milivojevic curls an excellent shot: Alisson dives to palm that away. Excellent save,

9:06PM

48 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1 

Ooh, this is good from CPFC. They flash the ball across the Liverpool goal... but what's this! A lightning quick break from Liverpool, Robertson frees Salah down the right, but Hennessy does really well to get in the way. Salah keeps it alive, cuts it back to Mane, who's first-time shot is scuffed wide.

Salah at his brilliant best would have scored that. Still looks about 85 % to me.

9:04PM

47 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 1

Palace are the first to show. Andros looking dangerous, Wan-Bissaka free but stumbles.

9:02PM

Players are back out

Still a great atmosphere. Liverpool are great front runners: didn't lose last term after scoring first.

8:54PM

Penalty verdict from Monday Night Football

Jamie Carragher: "He could stay up, but why would you? He's not kicked the opponent's leg to go down or anything like that. He is focusing on the ball. Then he feels the contact."

Gary Neville: "The defender's position is all wrong. He's lost control of the tackle, it's a bit loose. Yes Salah went down theatrically but... he's had a second nibble at him. And it is great position from the referee, he is certain."

8:48PM

Half time: Palace 0 Liverpool 1

Hard lines on Palace, they were absolutely in that.

8:46PM

GOAL! Palace 0 Liverpool 1 (Milner 45p)

No fuss from James Milner, hard and low. Keeper goes the other way. And that's 1-0.

8:45PM

44 mins:: Palace 0 Liverpool 0

Milner has a crack, it's charged down, the ball is played into Salah. He spins away from his man, Sakho, who seems to have caught him. Salah "goes down in installments" as Alan Smith says. But it is a penalty.

I think he did clip his foot, but the Liverpool player made a bit of a meal of it but all in all I think that's a penalty.

8:43PM

42 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0                    

We have our first booking. Van Arnholt scissors Milner, the dirty Dutcher. His international manager, Ronald Koeman, is in the stands. So is the England boss, as it happens. Hi Gareth! Call me yeah?

8:42PM

41 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0                   

A ball into the Palace box, they break. Wijnaldum has ended Townsend's break unfairly. Palace have a chance to launch a freekick into the box. Alisson comes bravely, commandingly for it... and gets the benefit of the doubt from the ref, as well.

8:40PM

40 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0                  

Keita plays it through. Mane has gone for a spectacular/impossible shot from an angle. Salah and Milner are among those far better placed. Milner makes the point to his colleague.

8:39PM

38 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0                 

Wan-Bissaka with great heart and energy down the right, he's made that ball his own, he's lashed it across... sadly for Palace it manages to avoid all their forward players.

8:35PM

34 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0                

That's poor. Suddenly it all opens up. Milner plays it in, Salah has the beating of his man, Firmino - who has done nowt throughout - manages at least to get in the way of a Palace defender and the ball drops to Robertson! Unmarked! Oh no. Awful shot.

8:30PM

30 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0               

Andros cuts inside, feeds Schlupp, who drags a shot wide. Good competitive fixture this. Liverpool obviously highly dangerous, but the Nigels have certainly had their moments.

8:28PM

26 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0              

Salah runs across the 18-yard line, shoots, it hits the foot of Mane and breaks, fortuitously, for Keita. He hesitates a fraction of a second and the shooting angle is gone, Wayne is able to narrow that down and save.

8:25PM

24 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0             

Keita, previously superb, gives it away, and Andros Townsend curls a saucy shot at goal.... it hits the bar! Oof. Liverpool clear an ensuing corner.

8:23PM

22 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0            

Oh it would have been a classic! Keita with some skill, flicks a loooong ball forward, Salah controls on his thigh and tries to chip the keeper. Onto the roof of the net. Nice.

8:22PM

20 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0           

There was chat pre-match about how Liverpool were toughening up Alisson for the Premier League... and he will have had a chance to see what is required here! Sane thunders into Wan-Bissaka and Hennessey in a three-way smash. Ouch. Everyone is alright.

8:19PM

19 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0          

Blunder! Palace give it away at the back. Sakho with a silly ball, Keita the interceptor, Salah the recipient, but he cannot find a lethal shot.

8:19PM

18 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0         

This is obscene from Mane. He has pinned his ears back from the left touchline and hared forward, Wan-Bissaka goes with him and fair play to the guy, he has done well to keep Mane at bay there. Goal kick. That was two seriously fast players at it.

8:17PM

17 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0        

Further stroking. Palace camped back.

8:17PM

16 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0       

Saying that, Liverpool are now having a period of possession. Stroking it around. 

8:15PM

14 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0      

Milner flips the ball into the box, and dear old Wayne Hennessy has to launch himself to punch it clear. Liverpool's Gomez curtails a Palace break with a foul. Two teams who seem happier on the counter right now... curious tactical puzzler for both managers.

8:12PM

11 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0     

Nice move! Keita catching the eye, linking up well to bring Mane in, he in turn sends it out to Robertson. Overlapping, Robertson does well but his cross is just too close to the keeper.

8:11PM

10 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0    

Keita with some excellent destructive work in the centre, Liverpool then free Milner but the offside flag is not his friend.

8:10PM

9 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0   

Lots of energy, but not a huge amount of openings, let alone chances. Van Dijk goes up against Benteke for a header and gets the better of him with plenty to spare.

8:07PM

6 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0  

Alexander-Arnold has now had two decent chances to cross but hasn't made much of a fist of either. Intimidated by the atmosphere, possibly?

8:04PM

3 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0 

Palace look to get van Aanholt into the game... and now switch to the other wing where Townsend looks to get clear. But Palace have lost it, Liverpool get it up very quickly. Mane, to Salah, this is dangerous. They have enough men back on this occasion. But that slick switch of play from Liverpool is an alarm bell for the hosts.

8:00PM

1 mins: Palace 0 Liverpool 0

Liverpool, in their grey and white, kick off. Palace fail to clear, Trent AA drives it in. That is cleared too, to Zaha. The crowd get excited. Nowhere for him to go.

8:00PM

Good atmosphere there

as it always is. Naby Keita says a little prayer.

7:57PM

Double Alan on comms

Smith and Parry. Good to see.

7:55PM

Right then

Who do you fancy? Palace have got a couple of decent centre halves, they've got Zaha, they've got Benteke. As Gary Neville points out, these players are familiar with each other, not a club where there were huge signings in the summer.

Liverpool have that frightening front three.

7:50PM

Here's the tactics board

7:48PM

Jurgen Klopp

"Tough place, quite a famous atmosphere. We have to play our own game, defend them with all respect. We must be patient when we have the ball."

7:47PM

Here's Roy Hodgson

"I think the word momentum is a bit difficult this early in the season but I am delighted that we got three points this week. I don't think we are the only team to have a player like Zaha but he is our one, we are delighted he has signed a new contract. I am sure he will be looking to show that he is happy too."

7:43PM

Swing those legs

7:37PM

Gary and Jamie

having a good old ding dong about the new Arsenal manager and getting players to build from the back. 

7:32PM

Crystal Palace teams

Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Wan Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho,  Van Aanholt, Townsend, Milivojevic, McArthur, Schlupp, Benteke,  Zaha. Subs: Ayew, Ward, Meyer, Kouyate, Sorloth, Guaita, Kelly.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk,  Robertson, Keita, Wijnaldum, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mane. Subs:  Henderson, Sturridge, Moreno, Lallana, Mignolet, Shaqiri, Matip.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

Oh look, it's child referee Michael Oliver. 6-4 on the match commentator mentions how young he is. He's not that young. 33.

7:28PM

Gary Neville looks positively 

demonic against this backdrop. Scary stuff.

7:18PM

Gurreh Neville in off the long run

about Woodward or whatever his name is at United.

7:11PM

Roy's suit is something here

VERY modish. Deep-cut V, tuxedo style, some sort of mohair in the weave I think. Very swish. Racy Roy.

7:09PM

Will Alisson have a busier time than against West Ham?

He might as well have brought a bean bag, never mind a rugby crash bag, to that fixture. An absolute cakewalk. 

More from Klopp on the goalie training: "It is not really rugby, it is goalkeeper training. All the boys did it. When Loris (Karius) came he did it and Alisson is doing it as well, of course. It is normal goalkeeper training. It makes sense to do it because the six yard area is not a safety box for a goalkeeper.

“We have these situations in training constantly when we do set pieces and the box is full with 22 players. Maybe that is a bit much, but 15 certainly."

7:01PM

And here are Palace

7:00PM

Liverpool team

6:54PM

Evening! Tyers here

Fresh from an afternoon on the cricket blog, where England look to be in all sorts of trouble. Still, what would sport be without upsets, and that is what Crystal Palace will be hoping to spring this evening as they welcome Jurgen Klopp's free-scoring, intimidating side to Selhurst Park for this Premier League clash.

The team news will be with us quite soon, in the meantime, we have this great story for you. Apparently Liverpool have been prepping their new goalie, Alissssson, for this game by whacking him with rugby tackle bags. Ha. How does he fancy it on a mild Monday night in South East London, that is the question.