MO SALAH stunned Crystal Palace with a late winner as Liverpool snatched a win that leaves them almost certain to finish in the top four this season.
Salah had been anonymous for most of the game but the Egyptian was on hand to score an 84th minute goal – his 29th Premier League strike of the season.
And the three points helped give them a ten point advantage over Chelsea in fifth place, a huge step towards securing Champions League football next season.
Sadio Mane had earlier gone from villain to hero in an entertaining clash at Selhurst Park.
The Senegalese star had a first half to forget and was picked out for special treatment from the home fans after being booked for diving.
But Mane, 25, responded with a neat flick after 49 minutes to keep Liverpool in the hunt for second place.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were well off the pace early on and Luka Milivojevic gave Palace a deserved lead from the penalty spot.
Roy Hodgson will feel his team deserved all three points but the defeat means they are now just outside the drop zone in the league.
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After a cagey start the game soon burst into life through Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha, who forced Loris Karius into a smart save from a one-on-one.
He then won a penalty after he was clattered into by Karius having ghosted inside Trent Alexander-Arnold to reach a long ball a split second before the German keeper.
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Eagles skipper Milivojevic stepped up and smashed it low into the bottom left corner after sending Karius the wrong way for his ninth of the season.
Liverpool were sluggish after the international break and Sadio Mane was soon picked out for abuse from the home fans.
Having deflected Virigl van Dijk’s goal bound header wide, he was then booked for diving before seeing his close-range header chalked off for offside.
But Mane showed that class is permanent, putting his poor first half behind him to equalise after 49 minutes.
After good work from James Milner down the left, the Englishman beat youngster Aaron Wan-Bissaka before seeing his cross flicked home by Mane for his ninth league goal of the season.
Former Red Christian Benteke blew two golden opportunities in the space of a minute to put Palace back ahead, firing well wide from decent positions.
And Karius then made amends from earlier, pulling off a fine save from a Patrick van Aanholt free-kick.
England hopeful Adam Lallana, on for Georginio Wijnaldum, was given a massive World Cup blow after being forced off clutching his left leg only five minutes after coming on.
Then six minutes from time Salah finally got involved in the game, as he collected Andrew Roberton’s cross to shoot him from six-yards.
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