Free football betting tips and analysis: Premier League Talking Points | Liverpool, Firmino and Man City

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When did Liverpool last score seven?

Liverpool sent out some statement at Selhurst Park as they scored seven goals away from home for the first time in the Premier League era.

This may come as quite a shock, but there was football before the early '90s Sky Sports-led revolution - 1991 was the last time the Reds hit a team for seven on the road in a league fixture. But this was the first time they have ever won an away top-flight match by seven goals or more.

It was their first league victory by a margin of that size or greater since a 9-0 win over Crystal Palace in September 1989.

It's been quite the season for Jurgen Klopp's team when it comes to seven-goal thrashings, though, with this the third such instance. Not all positive.

Who can forget their 7-2 hammering by Aston Villa, a crazy result that took some believing in the immediate aftermath. Victory by the same scoreline against Sky Bet League One side Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup was somewhat less shocking.

At the time of writing, next up for Liverpool is a home game against Sam Allardyce's West Brom.

Even before the former England manager was appointed Baggies boss in midweek Albion battled their way to a 1-1 draw away at Manchester City. He will undoubtedly be drilling his team defensively, so despite the Reds' incredible display I wouldn't be backing a heavy home win on December 27.

There aren't many bookies with a full market available yet, but most are pricing Klopp's team up as 1/6 favourites.

Back a home win but with Albion keeping things tight and both Betway and Betfred will offer 3/1 on Liverpool/under 2.5 total goals or 6/5 for the extra goal. Both look like excellent options to me.

Looking beyond simply their next fixture, it would take a brave punter to oppose the champions in the title race after both this showing, and their last-gasp win over Tottenham in midweek.

How good is Roberto Firmino?

Roberto Firmino's performance at Crystal Palace was justification, if ever it was needed, for Jurgen Klopp's unrelenting faith in him even while the twin pressure of a goal drought and Diogo Jota goal spree had many calling for the Brazilian to be dropped.

With Jota missing until February, and Mohamed Salah rested, Firmino stepped up to score twice - adding to his last-minute winner against Tottenham in midweek. But he offers so much more than just goals.

His linking of play during a first-half in which, bizarrely given the scoreline, Liverpool struggled for control was crucial in the Reds being able to quickly turn defence into attack to ruthlessly punish the home side.

It would be remiss to not mention Sadio Mane, who in a very different way was equally as effective before being replaced by the lethal Salah early in the second half, and the emerging Takumi Minamino whose performance showed glimpses of why he was signed from RB Salzburg in the first place.

For once though let's give Firmino the credit. For arguably half of a match that they won 7-0, Liverpool were little better than OK.

But throughout, Bobby was brilliant.

Crystal Palace are not a bad team

It was a record-breaking day for Liverpool, but Crystal Palace also entered the history books by conceding seven goals at home for the first time ever.

The only consolation for Palace fans is that unlike 1989's 9-0 defeat by the same opponents, it shouldn't be indelibly etched on the psyche of every supporter who witnessed it to quite the same extent. For once, there were small mercies in a game being played before an empty stadium.

My advice, in short, when it comes to this current Eagles team is to avoid large-stakes punts and to immediately cast aside any notions of Roy Hodgson's team being a circumspect, defensively cohesive unit.

For the majority of his three-year reign, Palace have been incredibly reliable. Renowned for dogged discipline, a team unlikely to feature in many high-scoring affairs. Along with Sheffield United, they were involved in the fewest (11) over 2.5 goals encounters of all Premier League teams in 2019/20.

They're already on to seven this term - a huge jump from 29% to 50%.

Their 7-0 hammering by Liverpool was the latest in a list of erratic 2020/21 results, added to respective 3-1, 4-1 and 5-1 wins over Manchester United, Leeds United and West Brom, and a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea.

It hasn't just happened spontaneously, though. Hodgson has released the shackles somewhat in a bid to get the best from star man Wilfried Zaha, utilising the Ivorian as a number 10 while continuing to flank a central striker with two more out and out forwards. For all intents and purposes, they are essentially playing 4-2-4.

Their victory over Leeds ended a run of 46 matches without scoring four goals in a league game, which goes some way to demonstrating the shift that has been made. After an embarrassing 7-0 home defeat, however, don't be surprised if the Palace boss shifts back just as quickly.

I firmly expect him to revert to a more balanced approach at Aston Villa on Boxing Day; swapping an attacker for a midfielder seems the obvious solution. Under 2.5 goals would need to nudge up from its current general offering of evens for me to take interest but, after this result, it may well do that.

Manchester City still struggling to score

It's impossible not to routinely compare Liverpool and Manchester City, but Saturday was a stark illustration of where each team is right now. As Jurgen Klopp's men basked in the glow of a 7-0 win at Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola's side just about ground out a 1-0 victory over Southampton.

Saints have been terrific this season, so City deserve plenty of praise for taking all three points. But the profligacy that was on show at St Mary's was the same that cost them in their midweek draw against West Brom; it's an issue that has plagued their campaign.

Their now customary 5-0 win over Burnley masks just how bad it's been for them in front of goal in the Premier League, with that thrashing still only taking them on to 14 from their past 11 league fixtures. Manchester City rank 11th for goals scored in the top flight this season - 19 goals from 13 games. By this stage last season they'd scored 37.

This is truly galling given that for the most part this is the same group of players that amassed more than 300 league goals across the past three campaigns.

Undoubtedly City are suffering from the loss of midfield genius David Silva, but their problems are far less complicated than finding a successor to one of the greatest players in Premier League history. They need a striker.

Gabriel Jesus was again missing at Southampton, and veteran goal-poacher Sergio Aguero, who is also enduring an injury-ridden spell, was only fit enough for a place on the bench.

Until at least one of those players is consistently available, it's perhaps wise to back Manchester City to win to nil rather than expect them to thrash teams. That is still consistently trading at good value, based, it would seem, more on past glories than current realities.

City have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight games in all competitions, and only been breached seven times in their past 18 matches.

They're a 1-0 team at the moment, not a 7-0 one.

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