The match started at a tempo that belonged in a different sport. Not football. Something faster. Something more violent. Both teams pressing from the first whistle, the ball moving between the two presses like a ball in a pinball machine, the transitions so quick that the eye could barely follow and the brain could barely process.
In the third minute, Salah received from Firmino on the right side of the Palace box and hit a shot that Pope tipped onto the post.
The Egyptian's speed in transition was terrifying, his movement between Sakho and Chilwell creating angles that shouldn't have existed, his finishing instinct pure and undiluted. Pope's save was instinctive, a reaction rather than a decision, his right hand deflecting the ball onto the woodwork with a speed that Rebecca would later clock at 0.22 seconds.
In the sixth minute, Palace hit back. Kovačić received from Konaté under pressure from Henderson, turned him with the hip-drop, and played a long ball to Zaha on the left.
