Liverpool’s disappointing start to the new Premier League season continued with a frustrating draw against Crystal Palace on Monday.
Luis Diaz scored in the second half shortly after new signing Darwin Nunez was sent off on his home debut as the Reds earned a 1-1 draw. The result means Jurgen Klopp’s side have made their worst start to a league season under his tenure.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at Anfield.
Klopp unhappy at invasion
Incredibly, Darwin Nunez wasn’t guilty of the most mindless action inside the stadium during a volatile evening. As Liverpool pressed forward for a winner in the final minute of injury time, a young supporter raced out from the home end across the pitch and made a beeline for Jurgen Klopp.
Referee Paul Tierney, on witnessing the intruder, had no option but to pause that game, with the Reds subsequently losing their late momentum and allowing Palace to regroup.
Unsurprisingly, Klopp was fuming at the ‘supporter’ who was swiftly intercepted by stewards and bundled away. The teenage idiot won’t be welcome inside Anfield any time soon – if indeed ever again. Attention-seeking has rarely been so pointless.
Nunez told
That said, Klopp’s mood had already been darkened by the dismissal of Nunez following his stupid headbutt on Palace wind-up merchant Joachim Andersen.
Nunez wasn’t happy with the decision and, having been pulled away from the incident by James Milner, then took an eternity to leave the field, prompting Klopp to scream ‘Get off!’ at the loitering Uruguayan.
And there was further brief discord in the ranks when Virgil van Dijk implored Trent Alexander-Arnold to hurry up and take a free-kick late on when seemingly not in any rush to do so.
Van Dijk responds
Liverpool found it impossible to break down a well-drilled Palace rearguard during the first half, even if the visitors required a little bit of fortune on occasion.
But a sign of the Reds’ early desperation came when, with the ball dropping to him 30 yards from goal, Virgil van Dijk responded to shouts from the crowd to shoot by then firing an effort well off target.
Klopp instantly turned to the Main Stand and put his finger to his lips as if to suggest it perhaps isn’t wise to encourage the Dutchman to attempt to score from such an ambitious distance.
Elliott whips them up
Harvey Elliott was Liverpool’s best player on the night, particularly during the first half when he popped up everywhere and came close to opening the scoring.
