Liverpool were held to a draw for the second successive match as Darwin Nunez’s red card hindered their efforts to come back against Crystal Palace.
Having drawn 2-2 at Craven Cottage against Fulham in their opening game of the season, Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped another two points at Anfield against a determined Palace side. Patrick Vieira’s side came to sit deep and counter-attack and their game plan worked perfectly in a deserved 1-1 draw.
After sustaining lots of pressure, the away side took the lead when Ebere Eze played Wilfried Zaha in on the break and the Palace forward produced a neat finish past Alisson one-on-one. Nunez spurned Liverpool’s two best chances and his game got even worse when he headbutted Joachim Andersen in the second half to receive a straight red card on his home debut.
Luis Diaz produced a moment of magic to make it 1-1 shortly after, firing in from the edge of the box after a great run, but Liverpool could not find a winner. Zaha volleyed wide a great chance to win it for Palace, but they still managed to bounce back from their opening-day defeat by Arsenal with a creditable draw on the road after Mohamed Salah's effort and Fabio Carvalho's volley went wide.
Here are Mirror Football’s winners and losers from Monday night’s Premier League match.
WINNERS
Ebere Eze
On his day Eze is one of the most enjoyable players in the Premier League to watch. Having grown up playing football in south London cages, he is part of a generation of youngsters whose game is based upon tight close control, silky touches and dazzling skill. It makes for an eye-catching combination. While Zaha’s opening goal owed a lot to the Palace legend’s speed and composure, it was indebted to some classy play from Eze, who controlled Vicente Guaita’s clearance and played the perfect ball in behind the Liverpool back line in an instant. If this game is anything to go by, then this could be his season to explode fully onto the scene.
Luis Diaz
There were just four minutes between Nunez’s red card and Diaz’s stunning equaliser. The Colombian has a never-say-die attitude that Klopp and the Liverpool fans love already. He didn’t dwell on the situation – he grabbed the ball, dribbled past several Palace defenders and then smashed a brilliant finish into the net. Diaz has only been at Liverpool since January – and this was only his seventh Liverpool goal – but he already looks a perfect fit for the team, having made Sadio Mane’s position on the left-hand side of the front three his own.
HAVE YOUR SAY! What did you make of Liverpool's performance? Comment below.
LOSERS
Darwin Nunez
When pundits talk about how new signings may find the Premier League difficult, they are not talking about the disciplinary side of things. Nunez fell foul of his own hot-headedness against Palace. Yes Andersen went down easily, but there can be absolutely no excuse for the Uruguayan’s aggressive reaction to the provocation. To make matters worse, Nunez’s empty-brained action came after he had already fluffed some good openings in the first half. He volleyed over an early chance at the back post and then scuffed onto the post following a great ball from Harvey Elliott. Klopp said Nunez was only starting because he didn’t have any other options; now he will have to find some, because Nunez will be banned for three matches.
Nat Phillips
Phillips will forever be etched into Liverpool history as a hero for his efforts during the 2020/21 season, when he stepped into the void created by long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to help his side admirably. But many expected him to leave this summer, with Van Dijk, Gomez, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate ahead of him in the pecking order. He didn’t and he was thrown into the action at Anfield on Monday. The 25-year-old was clearly targeted by Palace, whose game plan of springing fast counter-attacks exposed Phillips’ lack of pace. Zaha gave him a torrid time and Klopp hauled him off for Gomez in the 63rd minute. After starting the season with two poor results, which leaves a four-point gap to Manchester City already, he will be desperate to get Konate and Matip back fit.
