Liverpool superstar Darwin Nunez has issued a message to fans after his underwhelming performance in the Reds’ thrilling 3-1 Premier League win at Aston Villa on Monday (December 26).
The Reds resumed their 2022-23 Premier League campaign after the 2022 FIFA World Cup-induced break in style at Villa Park. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk netted in the first half before Ollie Watkins pulled one back for the hosts in the 59th minute. Eventually, Stefan Bajcetic sealed the Reds’ victory with an 81st-minute strike.
Nunez, 23, failed to add to his tally after missing a whopping four big chances against the Unai Emery-coached outfit. However, he proved to be a handful for Villa centre-backs amd featured heavily in the build-up to the Reds’ third goal.
After his team’s win, Nunez posted on Twitter:
“We won on a difficult pitch, and we are going for more! Thanks fans for the support. To the rest, calm down…”
Nunez, who arrived from Benfica for £64 million in June, divided a lot of opinions with his outing. He registered four shots on target, completed four passes, created one chance and won three aerial duels before being substituted off for teenager Ben Doak.
A mobile forward blessed with pace and positioning, the Uruguay international has been in fine form in his debut campaign at Anfield.
Liverpool will next take on Leicester City at home in the Premier League on Friday (December 30).
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp defends Darwin Nunez’s lacklustre performance
At a post-match press conference, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp shared his thoughts on Darwin Nunez’s performance during his team’s recent 3-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa. He said:
“It’s not as if he can close his eyes and hit the ball in. The scoring in the beginning isn’t so important. I’m not in the business since yesterday and so I know. When you look back, you can’t imagine how many big chances (other strikers) made in the beginning.”
Highlighting Nunez’s role in Liverpool’s third goal, Klopp added:
“What I really love is that in the third goal… we all would have hammered the ball down and tried to force it. The work rate he put in, the depth he created for us, he was unstoppable, there was no defender who could catch up speed-wise. I know all of the stories around, it’s completely fine. He played an exceptional game.”
Nunez has scored nine goals and laid out three assists in 20 games across competitions this season.