Liverpool and Crystal Palace battled it out to a 1-1 draw in Liverpool on Monday night. The Reds dropped points for the second consecutive week to start the 2022/23 season. While Liverpool dominated Crystal Palace for large portions of the match, going down to 10 men hurt.
Darwin Sees Red
Darwin Núñez was the talk of the match leading up to it. He was talked about even more afterward. After playing a pivotal role in the Reds' attack in the first half, his red card caused chaos in the second. Liverpool had to play with 10 men for the last 33 minutes plus stoppage time, thanks to Núñez's foolishness.
Núñez responded to a challenge from Palace's Joachim Andersen by headbutting him in the 57th minute. While Andersen did embellish the blow by falling to the pitch, it was no doubt a headbutt and the big striker deserved the red card.
The Luis Díaz Show
If it weren't for Luis Díaz's wonder goal in the 61st minute, Liverpool might have very well lost this game. The Colombian winger bailed out his Uruguayan teammate just 4 minutes after the red card. Taking on at least 5 Palace defenders, Díaz swooped in from the left-hand side and curled the ball past Palace keeper Vincente Guaita.
Anfield erupted and the Reds played valiantly for the rest of the half. They kept trying to get the winning goal, despite being down to 10 men. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and the Eagles would break their 10-game losing streak against the Reds.
Wilf Zaha Doing Wilf Zaha Things
Crystal Palace's goal was also a quality strike from their main man, Wilfried Zaha. It was a textbook counter-attacking goal, taking advantage of Liverpool's press. Liverpool dominated most of the first half but the Eagles' trap worked to perfection.
Guaita played a ball quickly from the back, which was expertly played on at midfield by Ebrechi Eze. Eze threaded the ball to Zaha, who was already in full flight but, managed to just stay onside. The Palace forward would bear down on goal and strike the ball into the far bottom corner of the net just past a diving Alisson.
LFC Globe Verdict
The verdict? Núñez is guilty. Guilty of losing his cool and costing the Reds dearly. Not only did the headbutt get him tossed from this match, but he will also miss the crucial match against Manchester United next Monday.
It doesn't stop there, Núñez will likely sit 3 games through suspension if the English FA chooses to uphold the maximum penalty. All reports seem to suggest that they will. It is a massive blow to a team that is already missing so many pieces due to injury.
Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for the young player. It is a lesson learned for anyone who doubted Jürgen Klopp's reasoning for keeping his new signing on the bench in previous weeks. Check out all the action below and stay tuned to LFC Globe for all things Liverpool.
MORE: 1-1 Crystal Palace - Full match report →