Alexis Mac Allister's good early-season form continued as Liverpool won 3-1 at Crystal Palace in the Premier League, with the Reds battling to a victory at Selhurst Park

When Andoni Iraola was asked about referees before Liverpool traveled to Crystal Palace this weekend, his response — after his side was on the wrong side of a big call against Arsenal — was an interesting one.

"I think we are quite an honest group — sometimes too honest," the Spaniard said on Friday. "Even the other day after the game, the referee congratulated us, but I don't know if I like that a lot or not. He said the behavior had been very good overall from the players and the staff. I think (any complaints have) to be genuine."

Though Iraola was displeased with Milos Kerkez conceding a spot kick late on at Selhurst Park, it didn't ultimately matter. The home crowd had cause for complaint at times too.

But while honesty when it comes to officials and a fighting spirit are not the same thing, there were two moments during Liverpool's win in South London that showed the kind of mentality the Reds need more often.

At the start of this season, Alexis Mac Allister has been in fine form. He opened the scoring here with his rediscovered penchant for a headed goal, and battled well in the center.

When he scored, the Argentine celebrated wildly in front of a Crystal Palace crowd that had been giving Liverpool stick, and he stood up in the game's decisive moment.

Had Liverpool gone behind, the match would have unfolded in a completely different manner. Moving to the front, the pattern of where the points would head was set.

And when Victor Munoz was adjudged to have dived in the second half, it was Mac Allister who was first over to defend his teammate, engaging in a shouting match with several opposition players who had crowded around the young winger.

Too often last season, that kind of bite in midfield (or indeed anywhere else) was lacking. But coinciding with Mac Allister's improved performances has come a renewed fighting spirit.

"I think overall we are having great results away from home, you know, in difficult stadiums," Iraola said in his post-match press conference.

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"Today, it looks at the end, OK, we were winning 3-0... but no, it was a tough game and especially in the first half when it was still 0-0, the situation was not solved, no? And I think we've had good moments from our offensive players."

Munoz, signed from Osasuna in the summer, is another who looks to have the kind of durability that is required, and Ronald Araujo has injected that in spades.

It is Mac Allister, however, of those who were already at Liverpool, who has embodied the change in fight more than anyone. As Liverpool continues to make steps in the right direction, that intangible is a key reason for the improvement.