After being held to a draw at Craven Cottage by Fulham, Liverpool aimed to turn their fortunes around at home, as they faced off against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace.
The London club have become a stern test for any side ever since Vieira took over, and the trend continued, as Liverpool failed to conjure up much of an attacking threat. The Merseyside Reds also found themselves trailing before halftime after Wilfried Zaha converted a swift breakaway.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Luis Diaz came up with a bit of magic and levelled things up in the second 45, and the Reds eventually had to settle for another draw. There were plenty of matters to discuss following the game’s conclusion, but at the centre of it all ended up being Darwin Nunez’s sending-off.
The Uruguayan striker was handed his first PL start by Jurgen Klopp, and judging by how he got on, it’s fair to say that Nunez still requires some more experience in the league. Palace defender Joachim Andersen shadowed the South American relentlessly, and subtly riled him up through pushes and shoves while remaining within the confines of the rulebook.
Eventually, Nunez’s frustration hit a tipping point, and he ended up headbutting the Danish international who sold the hit expertly. The referee brandished a straight Red, sending Nunez for an early shower, and complicating matters further for Liverpool.
The matter should’ve ceased there, but unfortunately, a few dull-witted supporters opted to hurl abuse at Andersen for doing his job, as revealed by the player himself. The 26-year-old took to Instagram and posted several images of the abhorrent messages he received following the game, the contents of which included death threats, abuse and even horrible comments directed toward his family.
Andersen stated that he received around 400 such messages, an unacceptable notion, and users online have rightly come together in support of the player. Needless to say, no individual should suffer such atrocities over a game of football, especially a player who simply did his job effectively.
