THE good news for Liverpool is that it’s Manchester United up next.
Then again, their comedy rivals might even fancy their chances at Old Trafford on Monday.
The bad news for Jurgen Klopp is that the Reds have already given the Manchester City juggernaut a four-point head start in the title race.
And they will be without new £85million striker Darwin Nunez for the next three games following his red card for a thuggish headbutt.
The Uruguayan was already having a stinker in front of goal before his moment of madness.
Chasing the game after Wilfried Zaha’s sucker-punch strike on the counter, Nunez’s attack on Joachim Andersen 57 minutes in left Liverpool staring down the barrel of a first Anfield defeat since last March.
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Thankfully for the Kopites, Luis Diaz kept his cool with a stunning equaliser moments later – beating five defenders before smashing into the corner from the edge of the box.
Yet it is just two points from Liverpool’s opening two games, leaving them playing catch up against the last side you want to be doing that against.
Klopp got a little shirty in the build-up when asked about their slow starts.
He insisted there was no problem despite going behind in their previous five league games.
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The Reds didn’t lose any of them but despite flying out of the traps tonight, they made it six after Zaha’s opener.
And as well as giving City the advantage early on – even if it is just two matches – Klopp must also be concerned over Liverpool’s horror finishing.
Hot-head Nunez was the main but not only culprit as the hosts squandered great chances before and after going down to ten men.
Forget that we are still in August, the pressure was already on Liverpool after drawing 2-2 at Fulham on the opening weekend.
With Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip injured, and Joe Gomez only fit enough for the bench, centre-back Nat Phillips was a surprise inclusion for his first Reds start in the Prem since last May.
Along with Nunez making his full debut, James Milner and Harvey Elliott were in for Jordan Henderson and the crocked Thiago in midfield.
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Palace headed to Anfield with a pitiful record of ten consecutive defeats against the Merseysiders.
Boss Patrick Vieira talked about sticking together, staying in the game and managing the difficult moments.
And his boys did just that in the first half, surviving a tidal wave of pressure before striking on the break.
They should have been behind inside seconds when James Milner blazed Vicente Guaita’s parried cross over.
And the ominous signs kept coming when Elliott was denied by a last-ditch block before Nunez snatched at a back-post volley.
Mo Salah was next, steering Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low ball wide.
Palace relaxed as Liverpool frustration grew – with Zaha then silencing Anfield 32 minutes in.
Keeper Guaita pinged it to Eberechi Eze, who produced a stunning touch before breezing past Fabinho and threading the lone striker in.
One-on-one with Alisson, the South London hero was as cool as you like, opening his body up and bending low into the far corner.
And he almost doubled Palace’s lead eight minutes later, darting in behind the uncomfortable Phillips again only for Alisson to rush out and smother.
Nunez then had a huge chance – Liverpool’s 17th of the first half – to level up on the verge of the break but sliced it off the post.
The striker arrived from Benfica with a reputation for the combustible, and he was sent off by Paul Tierney for the inexplicable nut on Andersen.
After a Liverpool shot went out for a goal-kick, the Palace defender nudged Nunez in the back.
But instead of brushing it off and getting on with trying to claw a way back into the game, he lost the plot and butted the defender in the face.
The Reds were crying out for a spark now – and Diaz duly obliged four minutes later.
Picking it up on the left, the Colombian went on a magical run in-field, beating five before arrowing a screamer into the far corner.
It was still all Liverpool despite being a man down, with Alexander-Arnold spooning a decent opening wide from the right.
But somehow Zaha failed to double Palace’s lead, hitting Abdoulaye Doucoure’s cross against the post when unmarked on the slide at the back post.
The Reds were the side pushing late on, with the best chance falling to Salah, but the Egyptian’s 20-yard effort flew inches past the post.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
