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LIVERPOOL. — Jurgen Klopp said he is proud of Liverpool for fighting back to secure a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday night despite being reduced to 10 men after Darwin Nunez was sent off.
Forward Luis Diaz cancelled out Wilfried Zaha’s opener for Palace. Nunez was red carded for a head-butt on his home debut.
“I told the boys after the game I’m proud,” Klopp told reporters.
“I thought the start (of the second half) was positive again and then the red card happened. But obviously the best possible reaction from (Diaz) then — worldie, wonderful goal.
“And from that moment on it was a special game,” he said, adding that he was pleased with how much pressure they put Palace under with 10 men.
Nunez was shown a straight red card in the 57th minute for his reaction to a shove from Palace defender Joachim Andersen, and Klopp said the Uruguayan international needed to learn from his mistake, which will likely result in a three-match ban.
“A little provocation here and there — and definitely the wrong reaction. A clear red card, I cannot deny that. He will learn from that,” Klopp said.
“Unfortunately, he has now a few games’ time to do so.
“Andersen wanted that, I would say, and he got it. But he made a mistake, Darwin, so of course, we will talk about it.”
Klopp has promised new striker Nunez will learn from his nightmare home debut for Liverpool and come back stronger.
As Anfield bows go it could not have been much worse for the £64m summer signing from Benfica, who was shown a straight red card for a headbutt on Crystal Palace defender Andersen.
He became only the second player to be sent off in their first English Premier League game for Liverpool at Anfield, after Joe Cole against Arsenal in 2010.
“Darwin knows he let his team-mates down. I will leave him alone for a night and then talk to him tomorrow,” said Klopp.
The Uruguay forward will not relish that awkward conversation, perhaps made a little easier by Luis Diaz’s stunning second-half equaliser just minutes after Nunez saw red.
Nunez, who scored on his debut on opening day in a 2-2 draw at Fulham, will now miss the next three games — but how costly could his moment of madness be?
“Of course it was a red, he was provoked but that is not how he should behave,” said Klopp.
“It was not a reaction we want to see. He knows he will be challenged in this way, centre-halves will do that, but it is not a reaction we want. — AFP
Online Reporter