Benteke comes back to haunt Liverpool

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool old-boy Christian Benteke stunned his former club with both Crystal Palace goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday denting the home side’s top-four Premier League ambitions.

Benteke handed a massive boost to Palace’s survival hopes with a goal in each half to cancel out Philippe Coutinho’s brilliant opener for the Reds and turn the game on its head.

Liverpool paid £32m for Benteke when they signed him from Aston Villa in 2015 but sold him to Palace for £27m a year later.The 26-year-old Belgian made them pay for that decision with goals in the 42nd and 74th minutes that moved Palace seven points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

But defeat left Jurgen Klopp’s side in third place just two points clear of fourth-placed Manchester City and three ahead of Manchester United in fifth.

Palace had offered little attacking threat but on 21 minutes they almost stunned the hosts when Benteke bullied his way towards goal.The Belgian international striker shrugged off defenders and exchanged passes neatly with Wilfried Zaha before bending a right-footed shot just wide of Simon Mignolet’s goal.