Liverpool better without Darwin Nunez and Gary Neville weeps for Manchester United – The Warm-Up

TUESDAY'S BIG STORIES Dirty Darwin Ad Some of the best footballers have built their reputations on selfless work. Giving the ball to others more gifted. Letting the flashy player take the penalty.

Headbutting an opponent to remove themselves from the game. TransfersMan Utd target Cunha after Ten Hag shifts stance on Ronaldo transfer — Paper Round11 HOURS AGO Darwin Nunez knew what he was doing. And we don’t mean simply crunching Joachim Andersen's face about 40cm away from referee Paul Tierney.

No, he knew Liverpool needed a spark – and he was happy to oblige. After he plodded away to sit alone in the dressing room, trying to find a dodgy stream to watch the rest of the game, Liverpool came to life with 10 men. Trent Alexander-Arnold in a free role, no longer burdened by pretending to defend.

The fans remembering they can scream and shout. And Luis Diaz. Ohhh Luis.

Skinning half a team on your own, shaping to shoot 50 times before pinging a howitzer home? Yes please. Ultimately, it was a point that was as likely to be 0 as 3. Liverpool appeared burdened by the knowledge a heavy win would lift Manchester United off the bottom of the Premier League, looking toothless in front of goal despite a rousing start.

So when Crystal Palace answered a question we have long pondered – “Could I keep a clean sheet alongside Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League?” – with a resounding no, we started to worry for them. This was especially bad news for Nat Phillips, who was the centrepiece to Palace’s brutally simple strategy: kick it towards him and see what happens. Quite a lot, it turned out.