Joachim Andersen has criticised Darwin Nunez over his "really stupid" headbutt on him during Liverpool's meeting with Crystal Palace on Monday.
The two sides clashed at Anfield, with Palace taking the lead against the run of play thanks to Wilfried Zaha's well-taken breakaway goal. Liverpool had dominated possession up till that point and missed a couple of good chances in the first half.
After the break, the Reds looked likely to mount a comeback but were soon reduced to 10 men following a moment of madness from new record signing Nunez. The Uruguayan forward was shown a straight red card after planting his forehead straight into Andersen's face following a heated exchange.
Andersen had been winding Nunez up for much of the match by marking his opponent tightly and not giving him a moment's breathing space. Footage of the pair tangling at various points during the game showed how Nunez was becoming increasingly irate with the Palace defender, before eventually losing his cool.
Andersen had given Nunez a nudge in the back before the Liverpool star pushed the back of his head into his marker in frustration. While the initial contact went unnoticed, referee Paul Tierney was in prime position to see the follow-up altercation, as Andersen gave Nunez a little shove before receiving a headbutt in return.
Nunez was giving his marching orders with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitting he will need to have a word with the 21-year-old over his conduct. Andersen also had his say after the match as he offered an insight into the fiesty exchange.
"The whole game I sat really close to him, I annoyed him a lot and did well against him. I think that’s why he was angry with me," Andersen said.
“He headbutted me, the first one, at a cross, and I told him he shouldn’t do that. I was angry with him. Then he did it again which is, for me, is really stupid, so it’s a clear red card.”
Liverpool were able to claw themselves back level to eventually earn a point, courtesy of Luis Diaz's superb long-range strike, but Klopp will now be ruing the absence of Nunez, who is set to be suspended. Klopp told Sky Sports : "Darwin knows [he let his teammates down]. I will talk to him. It was not a reaction we want to see.
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"He know he will be challenged in this way, centre-halves will do that, but it is not a reaction we want." James Milner was keen to throw his support behind his teammate despite his error, stating: "He is going to be disappointed in that. We have to get around him and rally. He will learn from it."
Virgil van Dijk echoed Milner's view, though told Nunez he needs to keep his emotions in check in future. "Obviously he was disappointed and also probably with himself," Van Dijk said. "But it's a learning curve and obviously we will always back him. He's got the backing from us and he knows it should not happen again and hopefully it will be that way.
"He has to control himself, definitely. I think that's a separate thing, he has to manage himself, he has to know that these things can happen, especially in the Premier League. Like I say, it will be a learning curve for him and hopefully it will never happen again."
Nunez will now serve a three-match ban starting with Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United next Monday, before the games with Bournemouth and Newcastle. Meanwhile Andersen has since received a barrage of abuse on social media with over 400 messages including death threats - with the Premier League now set to liaise with Palace regarding support for the defender.
