Crystal Palace's Yannick Bolasie terrorises Liverpool with muscle, speed and intelligence Neil Warnock did not know whether to play Yannick Bolasie on Sunday. He knew his player had had a very busy time of it over the international break, turning out twice for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The good news was that Bolasie had excelled, particularly in the second game when he scored twice against Sierra Leone, a result that saw his country through to the finals in January. Warnock therefore decided to wait until Bolasie returned to formulate his plans for the Liverpool game. I am going to have a look in his eyes to see if he's ready. Well, whatever it was the Crystal Palace manager saw, it was clearly enough to put his mind at rest. Bolasie not only made the teamsheet, he produced his best performance of the season so far to help inflict a heavy blow on rudderless Liverpool. The warning signs were there from the start for a visiting side deploying a midfield diamond. In this system, the full-backs are expected to provide the width and, as a result, the forward raids of Javier Manquillo were mercilessly exploited by the eventual man of the match. Hitting Liverpool on the break, Palace kept feeding Bolasie on the left flank, knowing their man was finding room behind his opponent. It proved a constant source of worry in the first half when Bolasie's barnstorming turn of pace over 10 yards pulled Liverpool's back four all over the place. Martin Skrtel, in particular, could be found sprinting across into areas any centre‑half would rather not go. If there is a criticism of the 25‑year‑old it is that he does not score enough goals for someone clearly blessed with a rip-roaring shot. That was obvious when he let fly from distance to hit the left-hand post. It was a marvellous effort, struck with real venom. Luckily for Palace, Dwight Gayle was on hand to knock in the rebound. With that assist to his name, Bolasie proved Liverpool's main tormentor before the break, thanks to a potent mix of speed and muscle. Anyone boasting those attributes is bound to scare defenders if he can add a bit of game intelligence. And Bolasie did, which must have pleased his manager no end. The second half, however, did not start so promisingly. Trying to find his feet on some newly laid turf which kept cutting up, it was difficult to have quite the same impact. Then Warnock made a substitution and moved Bolasie to the right from where he brilliantly created Joe Ledley's goal. It was a wonderful piece of skill, albeit enhanced by some hapless defending by Dejan Lovren. Bolasie flicked the ball over his own head and that of his marker before sprinting into the box to cut the ball back to a grateful Ledley. In an instant, he had swung this contest in Palace's favour from where it never threatened to leave. His work done, Bolasie was replaced soon after to widespread applause. Selhurst Park had grown used to seeing their man terrorise defenders in the Championship as a key part of their 2012-13 promotion campaign. They know only too well what he can do. They also know he is capable of doing it more often in the top flight. Mind you, try telling that to Liverpool. Bolasie seems to save his best for Brendan Rodgers's team. He also had a stormer in that sensational 3-3 draw last season when Liverpool's title challenge took a mortal blow. It did not beat yesterday though. "The best week of my life," was how Bolasie described the days that encompassed those heroics in Africa. Born in France, he moved to England with his family when very young. But with extensive family in Congo, he decided to represent their colours before even visiting the place. That decision now means Palace will have to do without the lad for a few weeks in January - far from ideal for the club but clearly a source of great pride for this modest-sounding character. It had been an exhausting week, training every day for his country in very high temperatures before flying back to scrap away in the rain. But the eyes never dimmed. They were up to the task.