London, Aug. 6 / BNA / Darwin Nunez, who joined the new club of Liverpool, came off the bench to score a goal and assist another on Saturday, as the Reds managed to achieve a 2-2 draw with promoted Fulham in the opening round of the English Premier League.
Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham ahead twice at Craven Cottage as Marco Silva’s side threatened a big upset, but Nunez showed why Liverpool spent so much to bring Uruguay forward from Benfica this season, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Nunez first met a low pass from Mohamed Salah with a clever backhand over the top of the net to make the score 1-1 in the 64th minute, then helped his Egyptian teammate to score the second equalizer in the 81st minute. Nunez tried to control a high cross pass into the penalty area at the time but The ball fell in the way of Salah, who made a simple entry.
Then Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson came close to winning in injury time when his curling shot from long distance hit the crossbar.
Mitrovic headed the first goal in the first half, rising above Trent Alexander-Arnold at the far post to meet a cross pass from the right, and then converted a penalty kick in the 72nd minute after Virgil van Dijk knocked it down.
Fulham also had a chance to make 2-0 in the 57th minute when Neskens Kebanu hit the post with a shot from the right side of the box after a quick attack.
The draw will remain a setback for Liverpool, who is seeking to regain the Premier League title after occupying one point behind champions Manchester City last season.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp opted against starting Nunez despite the newcomer making a good impression in pre-season and scoring in the Community Shield in the win over City last weekend. Roberto Firmino got the start up front instead, but Liverpool’s attack took a higher level once Nunez joined the Brazilian.
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