Jurgen Klopp was forced to shame Darwin Nunez after Liverpool 's £64million signing was astonishingly sent off for a full-forced head butt on his home debut.
Nunez saw red in more ways than one during the Reds' dramatic 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace which leaves them without a win after two Premier League games. The 23-year-old striker, having signed for the Anfield club this summer for a potential club-record fee worth £85m, is suspended for three matches. In a moment of madness on a thrilling night on Merseyside, Nunez lashed out at Palace centre-back Joachim Anderson before Luis Diaz 's sensational equaliser rescued a point.
The Uruguayan hot shot, who gave referee Paul Tierney no choice but to send him for an early shower, became the Liverpool player to be red carded for violent conduct since Klopp took charge nearly seven years ago. Post-match, the Reds boss condemned the incident and told Sky Sports : "Darwin knows [he let his teammates down]. I will talk to him. It was not a reaction we want to see.
"He know he will be challenged in this way, centre-halves will do that, but it is not a reaction we want. But we will use the time productively. We will use the suspension for physical work to make him strong - not a punishment but to make him stronger."
Liverpool midfielder James Milner praised his teammates' reaction to the flashpoint, adding: "He is going to be disappointed in that. We have to get around him and rally. He will learn from it. The team reacted well and the ground did and got behind us.
"We could have nicked it but it wasn't to be. Good teams react to disappointments and stick together. You see the readiness for the season and the fight. We have had a tough week and preparations have not been ideal. Nobody can deny we have fighting spirit."
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Nunez's suspension might not be the most damaging aspect of the night, though, as the Reds are already four points behind Premier League champions Manchester City. On the plus side, Klopp hopes to have Roberto Firmino back in time for the trip to Manchester United next Monday.
"Not the start we wanted but two points is the least of our problems right now," the German admitted. "It's really tricky with injuries. We have to use next week to maybe bring one or two back, although I don't know if that is possible. We have lost Darwin now as well, which does not help, but Bobby might be back, we will see."
