Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp denied that a second draw in a row at the beginning of the season was a setback, as he saw his side fall four points behind Manchester City after just two games.
After an opening day draw at newly-promoted Fulham, Liverpool were looking to bounce back at home to Crystal Palace on Monday, but fell behind to a Wilf Zaha breakaway goal, before Darwin Nunez's headbutt earned him a deserved red card, and Klopp's side had to settle for a point following Luis Diaz's fine equaliser.
With injuries hitting the Liverpool squad this week, and Nunez now suspended for at least three games, Klopp was downbeat after the game, but remained defiant in his interviews when brushing off any wider implications of their poor start compared to City's two wins from two.
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"It's not the start we wanted but two points is the least of our problems right now. It's really tricky with injuries," he said. "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.
"Everything went against us in the week before, it was like we had a witch in the building with all the injuries, so I am proud in the way we responded. We had two other nice opportunities [after Diaz's goal] we were a bit unlucky with, but it's a point. Not what we wanted before the game, but in then end we will take it."
In another interview, Klopp insisted he wasn't disappointed with the result, and told his side to fight in the coming days in light of some expected media criticism.
He said: "I cannot really be disappointed with the result because of the story of the game. I am proud of the performance. This was a proper LFC game, the way we started and put them under pressure. ... Is a point the dream result? No, but it what we got and you always have to take something away from games. We take things from the last two games.
"I know how the world is, but I cannot see it like this [a setback]. Maybe yes. We had a really tricky week. Every day someone pulls up. And you think 'what is going on here? Do we have a witch in the building?' Somebody ask me before the game if it is a good game for Darwin to start? Yes, because we don't have another striker and also he is good. It was tough.
"But the reaction is what we will take. We want to fight, we are Liverpool. If we can't play like geniuses in the moment then give it a go and that is what we did."
Stand-in captain James Milner added: "It is disappointing, we always want to win our games, especially at home... It is disappointing but ultimately it is good that we are creating chances. If you are not creating them that is worse. It is not the best start to the season, but we need to keep playing how we started and ended the game.
"The reaction going down to 10 men was very good and Luis scored a brilliant goal....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."
Liverpool take on Manchester United next at Old Trafford in a clash between the 12th-placed and bottom clubs in the Premier League.
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