The two opening games in the 2022-2023 Premier League campaign have confirmed that Sadio Mane was a key player at Liverpool as the club shared spoils with Patrick Viera’s Crystal Palace on Monday, August 16.
The Reds started the 2022/23 season with two draws in two matches as they could not get past Wilfred Zaha’s led Palace.
Jurgen Klopp’s men also fell behind in last weekend’s Premier League opener against newly promoted Fulham and could only salvage a draw.
Liverpool’s latest signing, Darwin Nunez was sent off in the 57th minute for headbutting Joachim Andersen, a foolish act I must confess.
Liverpool was once again limited to just a point after their opening draw against Fulham as they drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in a thrilling Anfield match.
The Eagles appeared to be on their way to a historic victory when Nunez lost his head around the hour mark, giving the visitors an advantage against the flow of play in the first half.
Even though the hosts made every effort to get the maximum three points, there was no late winner for them after Luis Diaz’s spectacular individual effort that brought the score even minutes after Nunez’s exit.
If you ever need evidence that football is a foolish, irrational sport, think about the perplexing trajectory of this match.
Patrick Vieira’s usually dynamic Crystal Palace team was smothered into inactivity for 32 minutes at Anfield, giving the impression that he had completely miscalculated.
At the conclusion of the Eagles’ first serious attack, a brilliant counterattack, Wilfried Zaha scored the game’s first goal. Up until that point, the identical masterplan had appeared to be a dud.
Darwin Nunez’s terrible mistake midway through the second half resulted in the Reds’ star summer acquisition being dismissed on his home debut, giving Palace a numerical advantage that should have put them on the road to a historic victory.
Nunez missed out on a fantastic debut at Anfield because he took six shots that were off-target and still was dismissed at a point his team needed him the most. Indeed, it was a home debut to forget in a hurry for the Uruguayan striker.
The good news was that Nunez’s exit and the Anfield audience inspired Jurgen Klopp’s team to score a fantastic equalizer to secure a 1-1 draw, thanks to the heroic effort of Luis Diaz.
Despite the hard-earned draw, Liverpool ended the 2022-2023 season looking more frustrated as they lose two more points in seven days.
To frustrate Manchester United at Old Trafford as both teams strive for their first league victory of the year, Liverpool’s focus has now shifted to next Monday, August 22. The league game will kick off at 20:00.
