Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace: Player ratings as Sadio Mane reaches milestone in Reds victory

Liverpool continued their impressive start to the new season with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, thanks in part to Sadio Mane's 100th goal for the club.

The Eagles started the game at a lightning pace, and should have opened their account inside two minutes. Wilfried Zaha lobbed Alisson Becker when through on goal, but the Brazilian clawed the ball onto the post, before Christian Benteke headed against the woodwork shortly after.

Liverpool went on to dominate proceedings, although they missed a string of glorious chances to take the lead, most notably Diogo Jota, who incredibly skied his close-range effort from under the crossbar.

The Reds did get the reward for their efforts on 43 minutes however, when Mohamed Salah forced Vicente Guaita to parry his header away from goal, but Mane was on hand to gobble up the rebound and notch his 100th goal for the club.

Salah put the result beyond doubt with 12 minutes to play, pouncing at the far post to slam home, and Naby Keita wrapped it up with a wonderful volley from outside the box, handing Jurgen Klopp's men another three points.

Let's check out the player ratings from Saturday's big match.

Liverpool player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Alisson Becker (GK) - 8/10 - Forced to fly across his box to intervene in the opening seconds, pushing Zaha's lob onto the post. Fortunate to see the ball rattle the woodwork soon after. Alert to keep Liverpool ahead in the second half.

James Milner (RB) - 7/10 - Who would fancy marking Zaha all afternoon? Not an easy job for anyone, particularly a 35-year-old. Not afraid of leaving his post to get forward and clip some nice crosses into the middle.

Virgil van Dijk (CB) - 7/10 - Typically in control at the back, and looked calm next to his new partner. What else do you expect from the man?

Ibrahima Konate (CB) - 8/10 - What a debut! Composed and commanding at the back, Konate showed exactly what he can do. Blocked a goal-bound Benteke shot to avoid conceding.

Kostas Tsimikas (LB) - 7/10 - Delivered some superb crosses into the box, causing all sorts of problems for the Palace backline. A real threat going forward.

2. Midfielders

Jordan Henderson (CM) - 6/10 - Wasted a good second half opening with a poor ball and an even worse speculative shot. Overall though, a solid performance from the captain.

Fabinho (CM) - 7/10 - Always where Liverpool needed him to be. Controlled the game from start to finish, showing exactly why he is so crucial to the team's balance.

Thiago Alcantara (CM) - 7/10 - Headed straight at Guaita from close range. Either side, and it was 1-0. A really good display from the Spaniard.

3. Forwards

Mohamed Salah (RW) - 8/10 - Headed towards goal to force the save from Guaita, but Mane was there to break the deadlock. Killed the game with a ruthless finish.

Diogo Jota (ST) - 6/10 - Had the whole goal to aim at with Guaita on the ground, but he somehow blasted over the bar. Early contender for miss of the season.

Sadio Mane (LW) - 8/10 - Lively. Zipped around the forward line, linking up to put teammates into crossing positions. Bagged his 100th goal with a smart finish from a tight angle. Well-deserved.

4. Substitutes

Naby Keita (CM) - 8/10 - SUPER SUB! What a strike! A beautiful volley to end the scoring.

Curtis Jones (CM) - 6/10

Divock Origi (ST) - N/A

Crystal Palace player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Vicente Guaita (GK) - 6/10 - Big save to deny Henderson on the volley. Produced similar heroics to keep out Thiago's header. Couldn't stop Mane smashing in the rebound. No chance with Salah or Keita's strike.

Joel Ward (RB) - 6/10 - Had a crack at goal from the edge of the box, but Alisson held his deflected effort.

Joachim Andersen (CB) - 5/10 - Beaten in the air a couple of times in dangerous areas, but luckily wasn't punished. Crumbled in the second half.

Marc Guehi (CB) - 6/10 - Never going to be an easy task for a young defender, but he won't be too disappointed with his efforts against such a dangerous forward line.

Tyrick Mitchell (LB) - 7/10 - Did a decent job of shutting down Salah's space, forcing the Egyptian to look elsewhere for support. Led the charge down the left flank in the second half.

6. Midfielders

Conor Gallagher (CM) - 5/10 - Not much chance to get on the ball as Liverpool dominated possession. A wasted talent when he's chasing shadows.

Cheikhou Kouyate (CM) - 5/10 - Overrun in the midfield by a far superior opponent. Tough one for the midfielder.

James McArthur (CM) - 6/10 - An underrated figure in this side, and one who kept Palace in the game at times. Broke up play and tried to stem the flow of attacks from that flank.

7. Forwards

Jordan Ayew (RW) - 6/10 - A threat on that side, causing the most panic in the Liverpool defence. Wasted a great free-kick from the edge of the box. Blasted another great chance high and wide.

Christian Benteke (ST) - 5/10 - Caused an early fright by heading the ball against the post. Couldn't compete with the solid central partnership at Liverpool's heart.

Wilfried Zaha (LW) - 6/10 - Had the best chance early on, but his lob hit the post via a strong hand from Alisson. Had a run at the Reds defence on occasion, but struggled to find the right pass.

8. Substitutes

Jairo Reidewald (CM) - 5/10

Odsonne Edouard (ST) - 6/10

Michael Olise (CM) - N/A