“He Deserves a Lot of Credit!” – Former Liverpool Forward Praises Darwin Nunez Following Chelsea Victory | OneFootball

Darwin Nunez’s Shot at Redemption: Chelsea Performance Just the Start

Liverpool secured a massive victory over Chelsea on Sunday, putting themselves as early contenders for the Premier League title. The win ensured that Arne Slot’s side remained top of the league, as well as moving four points clear of title race rivals, Arsenal. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones won the Man of the Match award in that one, with a stellar performance in the middle of the park but there was another standout performer for the Reds who perhaps hasn’t gotten the credit that he deserves.

Darwin Nunez replaced Diogo Jota through injury in the first-half, and in fairness to the Uruguayan forward, he completely flipped the game on its head. We spoke exclusively to former Liverpool forward Emile Heskey about the performances of Nunez…

Photo: IMAGO

Frustrating Start to the Season

“He has been doing well when needed,” began Heskey. The start of the season has been largely frustrating for the number nine, with Slot clearly preferring Diogo Jota to lead the line so far. However, as Heskey points out, Nunez has still put in a run of decent performances, whether that be from the bench or on the rare occasion that he has landed a place in the starting lineup.

Of course, his standout performance was in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth where he scored a worldie of a goal with his weak foot but his all-round play was also a joy to watch. That was similar to Sunday’s performance, where despite not managing to get a goal, he proved critical in improving the Reds’ attacking prospects.

Performance vs Chelsea

“Sometimes when you come off the bench, especially in a big game, it can be hard to get to grips with it,” began Heskey, “But he managed the flow of the game really well.” Nunez had an instant impact upon entering the pitch, with his first contribution being a genius flick around the corner to send Mohamed Salah on his way on a dangerous attack – where the Egyptian King should’ve definitely won a penalty.

Another hugely impressive aspect of Nunez’s performance was his off-the-ball work and constant pressing threat, winning a total of seven ground duels and two aerial duels. “He’s got that dog in him too,” pointed out Heskey, “The way he’s fighting and hustling, defenders hate it! He deserves a lot of credit.” He certainly creates lots of problems for opposition defenders and that has always been the case, if he can just work on his end-product, there’s no reason why he can be one of the standout forwards in Europe.

Photo: IMAGO

Looking Ahead

“I’d love to see him have more confidence in his attacking play,” said Heskey. That was perhaps one thing that was missing from his performance against Chelsea, but it was a cagey game all-round, in fairness.

The Uruguayan is set to get a huge opportunity though, with Diogo Jota limping off injured at the weekend. With a run of very tough fixtures on the horizon, Nunez will be really hoping to nail down that central role in Slot’s side and where better to start than solid performances against RB Leipzig and Arsenal.