Last night would have been a sleepless one for Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan star missed a golden opportunity in the second half of the Reds Premier League clash with Aston Villa which would almost guaranteed his team the three points.
This was one of many moments in which the striker has struggled for the Merseyside club this season, resulting in Liverpool fans calling for Nunez to be sold this summer.
Slot’s reaction to Nunez’s miss said it all, but the Dutch coach will not be giving up on his player just yet as the Uruguayan international can still have an impact.
One Liverpool fan was not happy with Nunez following the Aston Villa result and it prompted Jamie O’Hara to defend the Reds striker.
Jamie O’Hara defends Darwin Nunez from Liverpool fan
After the full-time whistle, Nunez walked to the Liverpool dressing room alone as the striker was clearly disappointed about the role he played in the Reds not getting all three points.
There have been questions around the 25-year-old’s commitment to the Merseyside club following his performance against Wolves as Liverpool rejected two offers for Nunez in January from Al-Nassr.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jamie O’Hara defended Nunez on Wednesday night after one fan stated that the Uruguay star doesn’t care about his club.
“What are you on about? He has missed a big chance and he is disappointed, I’m sure he is,” O’Hara stated. “He definitely cares, I’ve seen a video of him walking off of the pitch, head in his hands.”
It is uncertain what the future holds for Nunez at Liverpool but it becomes more likely that the Premier League leaders will part ways with the player at the end of the season.
The striker’s miss could be huge further down the line and after witnessing it, Danny Murphy understands why Virgil van Dijk looked disappointed after the Merseyside club dropped two more points.
Danny Murphy believes Liverpool squad will be ‘disappointed’ with Aston Villa result
Nunez was not the only one guilty of squandering chances against Aston Villa as Diogo Jota also missed numerous opportunities.
Liverpool will feel they should have come away from Villa Park with all three points and speaking after the match, Murphy noticed how disappointed Van Dijk was, which he deems understandable.
“There was some fight from Liverpool and resilience to comeback from 2-1 down. Van Dijk seemed disappointed [in his interview] to me, and I understand why,” Murphy said via the Premier League blog.
“When you play a game of football and create the clear-cut chances that Liverpool did and don’t win you are going to be disappointed. It is a huge game versus Man City on Sunday now.”
A trip to the Etihad Stadium might have become easier for Liverpool due to doubts over the fitness of Man City duo Erling Haaland and John Stones, however, Pep Guardiola’s side are expected to provide the Reds with another tough test on their quest for the Premier League title.
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