Reds stumble again as Palace deservedly hold on to a draw at Anfield

The Reds were looking much better on the pitch than in the opening game of the season against Fulham but didn't get much of it in return.

Amid their fierce attacks, Palace struck out of nowhere. It was a two-piece action, a brilliant counter-attack directed by Eze, who got rid of two opposing players with a single move near the centre. Then he sent a perfectly-timed pass to Zaha, whose finishing skills were second to none as always, for a shocking 1-0 lead.

What followed was Crystal Palace's masterclass, especially in the midfield, where the mentioned Eze and Cheikh Doucoure shined when confronted with their Liverpool counterparts (Milner, Fabinho and Elliot). The tensions were high as the hosts kept pushing for the equaliser, which seemed miles away from them with such a poor performance.

Salah and Nunez were cut off up there, while the visitors found it easy to transform quickly from their defensive block once again into a simplistic and sharp counter-attack.

It stayed like that even in the second half, and the moment that changed it all happened in the 57th minute. Nunez lost the plot after one argument and headbutted Andersen, which caused an immediate red card for the Uruguayan striker.

The Anfield crowd went nuts and it inspired the Reds to push even more in order to level the score. Eventually, it was exactly what we saw after Luis Diaz made a mess in Crystal Palace's defence before firing superbly into the far bottom corner.

With 1-1 on the scoreboard, the Scousers seemed determined to go for a total comeback, but it was Zaha who could have become a true hero of the night if it wasn't for the woodwork following Doucoure's cross late in the second half.

The Reds have to settle with the second draw from the two EPL rounds, which looks pretty lousy for the club of such sky-high ambitions.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Saturday

Aston Villa - Everton 2-1 (1-0)

/Ings 31, Buendia 85 - Digne 87 og/

Arsenal - Leicester 4-2 (2-0)

/Jesus 22, 35, Xhaka 55, Martinelli 75 - Saliba 53 og, Maddison 74/

Brighton - Newcastle 0-0

Manchester City - Bournemouth 4-0 (3-0)

/Gundogan 19, De Bruyne 31, Foden 37. Lerma 79 og/

Southampton - Leeds 2-2 (0-0)

/Aribo 72, Walker-Peters 81 - Rodrigo 46, 60/

Wolverhampton - Fulham 0-0

Brentford - Manchester United 4-0 (4-0)

/Dasilva 10, Jensen 18, Mee 30, Mbeumo 35/

Sunday

Nottingham Forest - West Ham 1-0 (0-0)

/Awoniyi 45+2/

Chelsea - Tottenham 2-2 (1-0)

/Koulibaly 19, James 77 - Hojbjerg 68, Kane 90+6/

Monday

Liverpool - Crystal Palace 1-1 (0-1)

/Diaz 61 - Zaha 32/