Once again, Liverpool were listless in the league, failing to score for the fifth time in their past seven away games in the Premiership. Rafa Benítez's plan to rest key players and blood some of his most promising youngsters rebounded as Liverpool were distinctly second best to a Palace side who leaped above Southampton and West Bromwich and into seventeenth place.
The two managers made four changes each to the teams that had varying fortunes in midweek. Iain Dowie, desperately in need of a result to give Palace some respite from the relegation struggle, dropped four of the side that had lost at Blackburn. Danny Granville, Tony Popovic, Tom Soares and Aki Riihilahti returned to a side that had gone six games without victory.
Benítez rested two of his Spanish stars, Xabi Alonso and Luis García. Steven Gerrard was restored after missing Liverpool's 2-1 victory at Portsmouth, a result that increased their hopes of overtaking Everton in fourth place. With their rivals drawing against Birmingham before this game kicked off, Benítez was clearly torn between going all out for three points and being cautious ahead of the Chelsea clash. He opted for caution, a decision that was to rebound on him in the first half particularly, as Palace took control and took the lead.
Palace got off to the better start, with an early header from Popovic being tipped over the bar by Jerzy Dudek. Johnson, who has been linked with a move to Anfield should Palace be relegated, then had a half-chance that was intercepted by an alert Jamie Carragher.
Johnson showed great awareness for the goal in the 34th minute. Following a short corner, Wayne Routledge crossed from the right and Dudek clawed the ball out to the left wing, where Granville returned a deep ball. Carragher headed clear, but Routledge was still 25 yards from goal when he hit a dipping volley, and Johnson got his head to the ball from the centre of a crowded penalty area to divert it into the net.
Liverpool had little in return, and a Fernando Morientes header that was tipped over by Gabor Kiraly in the 38th minute was their first real attempt on goal.
The second half continued in similar fashion, with Palace utilising the guile of Michael Hughes in midfield and pace of Johnson in attack to break quickly. They should have increased their lead shortly after the restart when Johnson broke down the right and sent the ball low across the goalmouth, where Steve Finnan missed it completely. Tom Soares should really have scored at the far post, but failed to make a decent contact with his shot and Mauricio Pellegrino was able to clear the ball off the line.
Liverpool were still bafflingly shot-shy until the introduction of Djibril Cissé as substitute for Djimi Traoré in the 69th minute. Having lost Milan Baros with injury before half-time, Liverpool's attacking options were limited, but at least Cissé and fellow substitute Darren Potter tested Kiraly with long-range shots. The Hungarian keeper was equal to all of them.
Gerrard was his usual all-action self, getting in vital blocks at one end and trying to score at the other. He had a header saved by Kiraly in the 85th minute, and was unlucky shortly afterwards when he raced on to a short pass from Morientes to curl a shot around a gaggle of defenders from 20 yards, only for Kiraly to dive full-length to tip the ball away.
Johnson could have scored again when he beat Liverpool's attempted offside trap but was foiled when Dudek ran out quickly to gather the ball.
Liverpool threw everything forward in the final minutes, but Carragher and Morientes shot high over the bar, and the final whistle was greeted with great relief by Palace's fans, who now have a very real hope of avoiding relegation.