Despite falling behind to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty in the second half at Selhurst Park, Liverpool’s fortunes changed when Palace’s Jordan Ayew received a red card with 15 minutes remaining.

Salah’s 14th goal this term made him the fifth player to score 200 for Liverpool in all competitions after Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228).

In his 247th Premier League appearance, the Egypt star also reached 150 goals in the competition, including two scored for Chelsea, putting him in the all-time top-10 list level alongside Michael Owen.

Although a draw would have been a disappointment for Liverpool, young midfielder Harvey Elliott, coming off the bench, sealed the victory in stoppage time.

Liverpool’s third consecutive league win pushed them one point ahead of second-placed Arsenal, setting the stage for Arsenal’s match against third-placed Aston Villa later on Saturday.

With upcoming home games against Manchester United and Arsenal before Christmas, Liverpool has a significant opportunity to solidify its title credentials heading into the new year.

Klopp had called a television presenter “ignorant” for joking that the 1230 GMT Saturday kick-off was the German’s “favourite” time to play.

Jurgen Klopp had criticized the scheduling of the 12:30 GMT Saturday kick-off, expressing his displeasure with the timing whenever Liverpool plays on Saturday after previous Wednesday match.

Meanwhile, Klopp’s aversion to the kick-off time seemed to be justified as Liverpool struggled to find any rhythm in the wet and windy conditions in south London.

Liverpool narrowly avoided falling behind when Jefferson Lerma’s close-range attempt prompted an excellent save from Alisson Becker, with the rebound hitting the post before being cleared off the line by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Despite a clear foul by Will Hughes on Wataru Endo before passing to Odsonne Edouard, who was then fouled for a penalty, referee Andy Madley overturned his decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.

In a lackluster first-half display, Klopp’s side failed to register a single shot on target for the first time in the league this season, concluding with Alexander-Arnold misplacing a straightforward pass.

Palace rightfully took the lead in the 57th minute with a penalty awarded after Jarell Quansah’s challenge on Mateta, confirmed by VAR moments after the foul, much to Klopp’s bewilderment.

Despite Ayew’s dismissal for a soft second booking in the 75th minute, Liverpool swiftly leveled within 60 seconds. Cody Gakpo’s cross was cleared to Salah, whose deflected shot beat the wrong-footed keeper Sam Johnstone.

Liverpool gained momentum, and in the first minute of stoppage time, Elliott’s superb strike from 30 yards secured the hard-fought victory, with Alisson saving from Joachim Andersen in the final seconds to preserve their success.