5 things we learned as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace to reach Premier League Asia trophy final

The Reds won through second-half substitutes Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi

Dom Solanke scored for Liverpool as they beat Palace 2-0 (Getty)

Liverpool edged out Crystal Palace in Hong Kong to reach the final of the Premier League Asia trophy.

Second-half goals from substitutes Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi were enough to seal the win in a slow-paced encounter.

Palace were clearly getting used to working under new boss Frank de Boer and played an experimental 5-3-2.

Klopp's side dominated possession in the first half but struggled to create any clear chances.

Solanke, a new signing from Chelsea, buried the opener with a smart, low drive into the corner. Divock Origi doubled that lead from close range.

But what did we learn?

1) Crystal Palace's experiment is in its early stages

Frank de Boer's orange revolution is here and the results are... inconclusive.

Of course they are, it's only his first proper game in charge and half the players on the field looked as if they were still running off their summer.

But De Boer's tactical approach was always going to be of interest and this was his first crack at squeezing the players he wants into a shape that works.

On the announcement of the team it could have been 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 with Keshi Anderson a surprise inclusion. But it panned out as a 5-4-1, with Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp as wing-backs and Joel Ward tucked inside as a central defender. Christian Benteke was notionally supported by Anderson and Wilfried Zaha in a front three but the team looked like one that had been ordered to be compact without the ball and paid much attention to positioning. These were players who were keen to show their new boss that they'd been listening to what he has demanded from them.

2) Mohamed Salah looks electric already

Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in a £34.3m deal last month (Getty)

Perhaps some of the Palace players were just feeling their way back to match sharpness but Mo Salah was lively on the ball and caused problems whenever he had the chance to run at defenders.

In one notable passage of play, he knocked the ball past Damien Delaney and left the Irishman in his wake, as if running backwards. On another Scott Dann saw the Egyptian coming at him and already knew he was going to have to bring him down. So he did.

Salah's dribbling at speed has got to be faster than almost any other player in the world. He will, at times this season, make people wonder what on earth went so wrong while at Chelsea that he couldn't succeed with the Stamford Bridge club. The pace and verve and dynamism that he injects into any attack is frightening and he will do some exciting things in a Liverpool shirt.

3) Wilf Zaha's new contract is Palace's best business this summer

Hot on the heels of Sam Allardyce's sudden departure, Steve Parish flew to Mallorca. It may have seemed a curious decision but the objective was clear - secure a contract extension for Crystal Palace's best player and work everything else out later.

Palace tied down the Ivorian international for five more years on the club's biggest-ever contract and then set about filling their managerial vacancy, and it was clear once again in hong Kong that he is their shining light.

Zaha's trickery and quick feet make him a unique proposition to play against, and his performances will ultimately be crucial to the Eagles' success this season.

On this evidence, he is ready to continue where he left off last season and should he put in a season's worth of displays that were as good as his play from March onwards, then he will be one of the best players in the league.

4) Deadeye Dom Solanke's goal bodes well


 Dom Solanke scored the game's opener 
 (Getty)

The young forward snuck under the radar in a summer of eyewatering transfer fees but he has all the potential to be a bargain buy for Liverpool.

An England youth international who was sick of waiting for his chance at first-team football with Chelsea, the idea is that he begins the season playing Under-23 football with Liverpool.

But a strong pre-season could change things and this is exactly the start he needed.

Solanke's goal means little in the grand scheme of things but there are positive aspects to take from it. The way he got the ball out of his feet and found the bottom corner without looking up suggest he's feeling confident and acting on instinct. There will be times Liverpool need a natural goalscorer this season and with Daniel Sturridge's fitness a near-permanent problem, Solanke could be the next man up.

5) Both sides need fitness

There were a number of players on each side who looked a little above their ideal match weight.

The heat and humidity in Hong Kong will help some of that melt off but with less than a month until the season starts, the time to impress is shortening and having the required fitness levels is the first step to winning your place in the team.