The England striker found the back of the net after just two minutes when fellow Three Lions international Adam Lallana picked him out with an exquisite diagonal pass, allowing the 32-year-old to control the ball inside the box before calmly slotting it past Julian Speroni.
However, Lambert’s first strike was not enough to give Liverpool their first Premier League win since 19 October and the visitors were downed by goals from Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak.
While the result may have been frustrating for Rodgers, there were certainly positives for England manager Roy Hodgson to take from the 90 minutes.
Lallana’s performance was a particular highlight. After setting up a goal in the win over rivals Scotland in midweek, the England midfielder claimed another assist against Palace and completed all 25 of his passes in the first-half.
England stars Raheem Sterling and Glen Johnson also took part in the match at Selhurst Park, with the latter showcasing his versatility by filling in at left-back for the whole 90 minutes.
Elsewhere, Hull City and England midfielder Jake Livermore came back to haunt his former club Tottenham Hotspur, as he opened the scoring for Steve Bruce’s side after just eight minutes at the KC Stadium.
Kane scored another goal for Spurs on Sunday
Livermore, 25, who has not appeared for the Three Lions since making his debut against Italy in 2012, will be hoping that his strike reminded Three Lions boss Hodgson of his talents.
The former Spurs star took his goal superbly, firing a low shot from outside the box past a despairing Hugo Lloris and into the bottom corner.
However, Livermore’s goal was not enough for his team as Spurs rallied and took all three points back to north London.
England Under-21 striker Harry Kane continued his fine form by netting a second-half equaliser before Christian Eriksen hit a dramatic injury-time winner.
Kane, who now has 10 goals in all competitions this season, once again showed his promise in front of goal and was the quickest to pounce when Christian Eriksen’s 25-yard free-kick had hit the post, tapping the ball home from five yards out.
