Darwin Nuñez may have grabbed the headlines for Liverpool last night for receiving a red card on his home debut, but he wasn’t the only Reds attacker to catch the eye against Palace.
Amidst the chaos surrounding Nuñez, many have forgotten Luis Diaz scored a quality goal for Jürgen Klopp’s side.
The Colombian raced past a few Palace defenders before arrowing a long-range strike past a helpless Vicente Guaita in net.
It was a goal which typified everything that Diaz has brought to the Liverpool team since his January arrival.
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Not only did it exemplify his superb talent, but also his never-say-die approach to football as he singlehandedly dug his 10-man Liverpool side back into the game.
Pundits Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand were blown away by Diaz’s efforts on the night.
Speaking on Monday Night Football for Sky Sports, Neville revelled at Diaz’s overall game: “his tracking back, his pressing. He energy in the game, his dispossessing of the opposition team is absolutely unbelievable.”
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Meanwhile, BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand took to social media to proclaim his admiration, tweeting ‘What a player Diaz is… attitude, desire, personality bang on!’
Liverpool could need a few more of those strikes from Diaz this term if they’re going to salvage what has been a poor start to the new Premier League season.
The Reds sit 12th in the table, already 4 points behind Arsenal and Manchester City who are the only two teams in the league to have won both of their first two games.
And things aren’t looking very bright at Anfield in terms of the immediate future either.
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The injuries are piling up with the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Roberto Firmino, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain currently on the treatment table.
And despite the lack of avaliable creativity in the team, it appears unlikely the Reds are going to dip into the market to sign a more offensively oriented midfielder.
Luis Diaz represents one of very few things Liverpool fans can feel good about at the moment.
Topics: Liverpool, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Luis Diaz
Robert Worthington