Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Darwin Nunez reacted poorly to being provoked, which led to him receiving a red card during their clash against Crystal Palace.
Klopp’s team hosted the Eagles at Anfield in a Premier League fixture on Monday (August 15). A disappointing performance saw the Reds draw for the second game running as the match ended 1-1.
The major talking point to emerge from the contest was Nunez’s red card. Having started the match, the Uruguayan missed a couple of presentable opportunities in the first half. In the 57th minute, he headbutted Joachim Andersen following a short off-the-ball exchange, receiving a straight red card.
After the match, Klopp admitted that there was no doubt that it was a red-card offense. He stated (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo):
“There was provocation but it was definitely the wrong reaction. It was a clear red card. We cannot deny that. Unfortunately [he is out] for a few games now and that is not cool for us in our specific situation but that is how it is.”
The German tactician stated that he was yet to speak to Nunez, but will do so soon:
“I haven’t [spoken to Nunez] yet, but of course I will. I won’t speak with him for three games? I came in and wanted to see the situation, I didn’t know what happened in the game. I saw Andersen on the floor and Darwin walking away, that was my picture.”
Klopp concluded:
“I asked our guys and they said red card. I saw it and yes it is a red card. It was the wrong reaction in the situation. Andersen wanted that and he got it. But [Nunez] made a mistake. So we will talk about that but not yet.”
Liverpool suffer from similar problems in draw against Crystal Palace
Similar to their 2-2 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage in their Premier League opener, Liverpool got off to another slow start against Crystal Palace.
The crowd at Anfield didn’t have too much to cheer about initially and were left displeased when the Reds fell behind in the 31st minute. An excellent through-ball from Eberechi Eze saw Wilfried Zaha escape the hosts’ high defensive line before slotting the ball home past Alisson Becker.
Luis Diaz scored a stunning goal just four minutes after Nunez’s dismissal to rescue a point, but there were concerns for Liverpool. They got just four shots on target from 24 attempts and lacked creativity, barring some individual brilliance from Harvey Elliott.
The Reds will hope to set things straight when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford next Monday, August 22.