Jamie Redknapp feels Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez ‘lost his head’ against Crystal Palace and headbutted Joachim Andersen after struggling on his Anfield debut on Monday night.
Anfield pressure too much for Nunez before Liverpool ace headbutted Andersen
Darwin Nunez saw red on his Anfield bow after Liverpool’s £64m, rising to £85m, summer arrival from Benfica headbutted Joachim Andersen of Crystal Palace. And Jamie Redknapp has told talkSPORT the incident occurred as the pressure of his home debut got too strong.
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The Reds welcomed the Eagles to Merseyside on Monday for their first home match of the 2022/23 Premier League season. But Wilfried Zaha spoiled the host’s party by breaking the deadlock in the 32nd-minute. It was not until after Nunez saw red that Luis Diaz equalised.
Referee Paul Tierney gave the Uruguay forward his marching orders in the 57th-minute of the Anfield affair. Nunez reacted aggressively to Andersen pushing him in the back whilst the pair argued over an earlier second-half incident, and will now serve a three-match ban.
The ban depletes Jurgen Klopp’s attacking ranks for Liverpool’s visit to Manchester United next Monday. He was already without Diogo Jota whilst the Portuguese recovers from his hamstring injury, while Roberto Firmino may return after he sat out at home to the Eagles.
Jamie Redknapp confident Darwin Nunez will learn from his ‘big mistake’
Redknapp is confident that Nunez will learn from his ‘big mistake’, but feels headbutting Andersen is made worse as Crystal Palace marked the Liverpool star’s Anfield debut. The former Reds midfielder also notes how the 23-year-old was struggling before the incident.
“Nunez made a big mistake,” Redknapp said. “We’ve all done it, we’ve all made mistakes and got sent off and made mistakes on the football field.
“Horribly, it was his first time at Anfield, it was getting the better of him. He wasn’t scoring after having a couple of opportunities. He lost his head. He’ll learn from it, it’s not ideal. He’s now got to make up for lost time.
“The fans will forgive him as they’re like that. It’s not the perfect start for him. But if he scores a couple of goals, then everyone will forget.”
Nunez scored and assisted off the bench in his Premier League debut as Liverpool drew 2-2 at Fulham. But the forward could not find a way past Vicente Guaita with either of his five shots on Monday night, per WhoScored, with neither going down as an on-target attempt.
The Uruguayan fired wide of the post with three of his efforts, while Crystal Palace players blocked two. Nunez also only registered 19 touches and completed just six of nine passes.
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