Liverpool fans fume at Darwin Nunez’s dismissal for headbutt in his first game at Anfield

Liverpool £85million record signing Darwin Nunez ‘lost the plot’ when he made the ‘unbelievable’ decision to headbutt Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen on his Anfield debut.

With the Reds 1-0 behind against Palace, who were on a 10-game losing streak in the fixture, newcomer Nunez responded rashly to a prod from centre-back Andersen where he appeared to butt his opponent in the chin, giving referee Paul Tierney little choice but to dismiss him.

The violent reaction came in the 57th minute of the striker’s first start for the club and the incident drew a dismayed reaction on social media.

Nunez (second from left) was sent off by referee Paul Tierney for the butt on his home debut

The striker had scored on his Premier League bow but was sent off in the 57th minute at Anfield

‘Absolutely disgraceful from Nunez,’ said one shocked supporter as Liverpool rallied to equalise through Luis Diaz despite his team-mate’s departure. ‘Completely inexcusable.’

Reds fan and heavily-followed YouTuber Chunkz called Nunez ‘scrappy’ in his ‘horrible home debut’, while former Palace and England midfielder John Salako could not countenance what he had seen. 

‘He completely looses (sic) the plot and headbutts Andersen,’ said Salako. ‘What a massive blow for Liverpool. Great opportunity for Palace.’

Crystal Palace great John Salako was left stunned by Nunez’s headbutt on Monday

YouTube personality Chunkz branded the game as a ‘horrible home debut’ for Nunez

Nunez scored and provided an assist on a promising cameo from the bench during the second half of Liverpool’s comeback 2-2 draw at Fulham in their opener.

The Uruguay hitman’s fee could rise to £85m following his summer arrival from Portuguese side Benfica – and Liverpool will now be without him for three matches of his debut season unless a potential appeal succeeds.

Former Leicester, Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith was baffled as he watched Nunez depart early as his side dropped more points with a 1-1 draw. 

Some supporters called Nunez’s act ‘absolutely disgraceful’, ‘unbelievable’ and ‘disgusting’

Smith told Sky Sports: ‘We’ve spoken about this lad’s ability but this is the dark side.

‘What on earth is he doing? Whenever you put your head to an opponent like that there’s only going to be one outcome. He’s let the team down, has Nunez – big time.’

Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville had some sympathy for Nunez while recalling his own red card for headbutting former England team-mate Steve McManaman during an FA Cup game against Manchester City in 2004.

Other fans compared the incident to Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final while others insisted there was ‘no reason for behaviour like that’ at Liverpool

Diaz hit the equaliser for Liverpool within five minutes of Nunez departing for violent conduct

‘There was no history of that at [Nunez’s former club] Benfica,’ suggested pundit Neville. ‘He’s not been sent off [for them].

‘It’s a moment of madness. He’ll [Andersen] be feeling that. That’s a proper butt.

‘That’s stupidity tonight. He’s a young player. It’s a steep learning curve – I’ve done it myself.’

Gary Neville recalled a similar incident with Steve McManaman during a Manchester derby

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher added: ‘I cannot believe he thinks he’s going to get away with that. The referee is looking straight at it.

‘As he’s walking back to the bench, he’ll realise what he’s done. He’ll be absolutely devastated in the dressing room.’