Prior to Thursday’s 2-0 victory over the Belgian team, Nunez had a productive start to the season with the Reds, scoring four goals and dishing out two assists in eight games.
FEATURED VIDEO
He received a start for the season’s second Europa League match at Anfield after scoring in gameweek one’s 3-1 victory against LASK.
However, the Uruguayan’s plans were not totally successful as manager Jurgen Klopp only allowed him to play in the first half in an effort to preserve his alternatives for Sunday’s trip to Brighton.
Nunez squandered a clear opportunity to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first half, but he also failed to register a goal.
TV cameras captured the response of the Liverpool bench to the error, with manager Jurgen Klopp looking away in agony.
Virgil Van Dijk and Jurgen Klopp reaction to Darwin Nunez miss😭😭 pic.twitter.com/hHeN7A9IdP
— ~ (@travix240) October 5, 2023
While everything was going on, Van Dijk stared in disbelief at what he had just witnessed and then moved to pat a teammate on the arm.
Liverpool went on to win 2-0 thanks to goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota, but it wasn’t a moment Nunez will cherish.
Since completing his summer transfer from Bayern Munich on the final day of last month, Gravenberch’s goal was his first in a Liverpool uniform.
When discussing the Dutch midfielder’s play following the victory, Klopp said: “It’s really tough to retain rhythm in games like this, but it’s crucial.
Although we should have scored sooner, we instead scored in stoppage time.
“If we want to win contests, we should take use of our opportunities more frequently, but I’m not upset or worried about it. It’s the way things are. We are aware that we must improve.
It was a polished, mature performance. Although we were happy with the outcome, we know we can improve.
