Darwin núñez

Gary Neville believes that while Liverpool were poor in their defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, Darwin Nunez did have a 'really good' game.

I thought the physical drop off in that second half was the biggest problem for me, with Arsenal looking better, stronger and fitter.’ There were other areas in the team. ‘But something’s missing, I know Liverpool fans say it’s their midfield. ‘They needed a centre forward, when they signed Nunez there was this comparison between [Erling] Haaland and Nunez. ‘Liverpool needed a centre forward. [Privacy Policy](https://metro.co.uk/privacypolicy/)

Former Premier League referee explains controversial decision. Uruguayan forward netted Liverpool's first equaliser but Arsenal won match 3-2.

Despite that decision, Arsenal were able to go on and win the game with Bukayo Saka scoring twice either side of Liverpool’s second equaliser through Roberto Firmino. Both sides felt that key incidents went against them and one of the biggest of the match was Liverpool’s first equaliser from Darwin Nunez which made the score 1-1 on 34 minutes. or ‘B’ - has he impacted the defender?

Gary Neville has sung the praises of Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez, despite the Reds being beaten once more this weekend by Arsenal.

However, a tough weekend fixture against Manchester City will be the ultimate test for the Uruguayan star. Sure, they’re probably out of the title race right now. “I thought he was really good.I thought even in the difficult parts of the game for Liverpool he was their best player. I thought he looked a real handful, making good runs in behind, pressing. When they signed Nunez there was this comparison with Erling Haaland,” Neville Liverpool needed a centre-forward with Mane leaving, Firmino apparently dropping off, so they have to revitalise that forward line.

Liverpool look set to be without Luis Díaz for a spell. That's obviously bad news, but it might make one aspect of the Darwin Núñez plan easier to ...

[Jota](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-darwin-nunez-diogo-jota-25214796) back in the summer of 2020, he was primarily a left winger. Jota is currently on something of a dry spell for the first time since joining Liverpool (19 games without a goal), but he has never been one to stay out of the goals for long. With the Uruguayan holding the fort as the number nine, Jota can flourish back where he started. An extended run on his preferred flank can offer a reminder of why Liverpool parted with £41m in the first place. That appears to leave Jota as a victim of circumstance at Liverpool once again, where he has never really been able to nail down a sustained starting space despite impressing. When deployed as striker, Jota was a breath of fresh air precisely because of the ‘purer’ number nine instincts he brought to the table — a deceptive talent in the air, clever movement, and more of an instinct to get in behind than Firmino possesses. This amounts to something of a reset. A two-striker formation nonetheless gives scope to continue with Jota through the middle, as indeed Klopp did from the start against Arsenal. [Liverpool](https://www.liverpool.com) fans are understandably fearing the worst, with knee injuries always a source of particular concern. Liverpool have already had a 40-minute preview of the likely answer. Whether he can continue with his fledgling 4-4-2 (more like a 4-2-4 in practice) remains to be seen: there are now only four fit senior attackers, so it would certainly be a risk. If Liverpool could have chosen one player to protect from injury throughout the duration of the season, Luis Díaz would surely have been high up the list.