Darwin Nunez headbutt: What did Joachim Andersen say?

Suraj Radia

• 16 Aug 2022 10:05 CDT
• 3 min read

Joachim Andersen admitted he had got into the head of Darwin Nunez throughout the match against Liverpool, leading to forward being sent off for a headbutt on the Crystal Palace defender.

Nunez lashed out at Andersen in front of referee Paul Tierney after a losing his cool with the Dane and was promptly shown his marching orders with his side a goal down.

Andersen described Nunez’s decision as ‘stupid’ and believes his constant tight marking of the Uruguayan was the catalyst to the red card.

"The whole game I sat really close to him, I annoyed him a lot and did well against him. I think that’s why he was angry with me," Andersen said.

“He headbutted me, the first one, at a cross, and I told him he shouldn’t do that. I was angry with him. Then he did it again which is, for me, is really stupid, so it’s a clear red card.”

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Nunez’s moment of madness compounds Liverpool’s rough start

Liverpool are now winless after their opening two league games and the Reds will be without their record signing for the next three matches, however his ban could be extended should the Premier League deem the incident to be more severe.

Nunez’s dismissal on his home debut was a blow to Liverpool after they had slowly found a route back into the match and the Reds required a wonder goal from Luis Diaz to rescue a point.

With Diogo Jota still injured and question marks over the fitness of Roberto Firmino, Liverpool could be short of forwards during Nunez’s ban in games against Manchester United, Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Andersen, meanwhile, revealed he had been sent death threats by fans on social media and shared some of the abuse he had received.

The 26-year-old said on Instagram that he had been sent ‘300-400 messages’ overnight, with some wishing death on him and his family.

Palace will discuss the issue with Anderson before deciding whether to report the abuse to the police.