Socceroos skipper Mile Jedinak’s spectacular free kick has helped Crystal Palace inflict more pain on struggling Liverpool with a 3-1 English Premier League victory.
Liverpool’s Selhurst Park curse returned to haunt them on Sunday as late goals from Joe Ledley and Jedinak gave Palace a vital win in rain-soaked south London.
Liverpool missed out on the EPL title after letting a 3-0 lead slip to draw 3-3 on their last trip to the ground in May and Palace again proved the scourge of Brendan Rodgers’ side with a stirring comeback.
Defensive midfielder Jedinak sealed the result with a brilliant, curling effort from 25 metres in the 81st minute to continue his unlikely goal-scoring run.
After scoring just once in his first 41 Premier League games, Jedinak has netted four goals in his past seven matches, with Saturday’s effort the clear standout.
“To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to take it,” Jedinak told Sky Sports.
“Gayley (Dwight Gayle) put the ball down and I said ‘I’ll have a go’ and he looked at me with bemusement.
“I just felt something and luckily it went in.”
Rickie Lambert scored his first Liverpool goal to put the visitors ahead inside two minutes, but Gayle – who scored twice in the 3-3 draw – equalised 15 minutes later.
With the visitors again toiling in attack, Ledley and Jedinak scored twice in the last 12 minutes to condemn Liverpool to three consecutive league defeats for the first time since April 2012.
Rodgers’ side, who finished second to Manchester City last season, sit in 12th place, a huge 18 points below leaders Chelsea, and face a crucial Champions League game away on Wednesday to Ludogorets Razgrad.
It was a first win in six matches for Neil Warnock’s Palace, who leapt out of the relegation zone and up to 15th.
“We needed that big-time,” said Jedinak, who impressed in Australia’s midweek loss to Japan.
“We’ve been thrown a lot of different obstacles this season and, to lose a goal so early, we could have just shot ourselves in the foot and put our heads down.
“But the way we reacted, the positivity, the fight and the willingness, it was first class.”
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