JOACHIM ANDERSEN (£3m) played Darwin Nunez (£5.3m) like a fiddle last night.
Crystal Palace battled hard at Anfield to take home a point with Wilfried Zaha (£4.5m) scoring the game’s opening goal on the counterattack before Luis Diaz (£4.9m) hit back with an impressive 20-yard strike.
The hosts pushed for a late winner but their effort was dampened by a numbers disadvantage with their new No9 having seen red for a headbutt on the Eagles’ Danish centre-back in the 57th minute.
Whether Nunez was frustrated by Andersen’s niggling or simply the excellent marking job executed by the defender – perhaps both – it was a naive reaction from the Uruguay international.
The precedent has been set for years now that if you thrust you head into an opponent it’s deemed violent conduct, no matter how little pain you actually inflict.
What will really concern Liverpool fans is how little bait was required to lure the 23-year-old into the trap.
Truth be told, Andersen barely indulged in any spiteful sh*thousery at all, he just relished the battle.
Premier League centre-backs will be licking their lips having seen Nunez lose his composure so quickly – just think what the likes of Cristian Romero (£3.4m) and Pontus Jansson (£1.9m) will be plotting for their visits to Anfield later this season.
Jurgen Klopp will hope that a three-game suspension serves a necessary reminder to his new striker of the importance of restraint in the midst of a contest.
Nunez’s red card poses a headache for a significant section of Dream Team gaffers.
The ex-Benfica forward currently features in 32.1% of teams, making him the fourth-most popular asset in his position.
Even if you’re a massive believer in Nunez’s ability, remaining loyal to him throughout his imminent suspension would be illogical.
Transfer him out prior to Game Week 3 and then feel free to bring him back in ahead of the Merseyside derby on September 3rd if you’re really keen on him.
The obvious replacement is Gabriel Jesus (£5m) who sits within the same price bracket and is the game’s joint-top scorer after his 22-point haul at home to Leicester.
Arsenal’s fixtures are favourable until the first international break so the Brazilian appears the most logical choice.
For those Nunez owners who already have Jesus in their XI, the following forwards could be recruited: Wilfried Zaha (£4.5m), Jamie Vardy (£4.5m), Ivan Toney (£4.2m).
The former and the latter have 11 and 15 points respectively and are consequently in the top ten performers in their position at this stage.
An alternative strategy would be to switch formations and replace Nunez with a midfielder.
James Maddison (£5.1m), Phil Foden (£5m) and the aforementioned Luis Diaz (£4.9m) are all available for roughly the same price – all three are into double figures in terms of points already.
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