After Harvey Elliott’s goal in the 87th minute separated the two teams on Wednesday night, Liverpool somehow managed to leave Parc des Princes with the lead heading into the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 match.
As demonstrated by their lone attempt on goal, which was successful, Arne Slot’s team actually had trouble creating in front of goal. They owed their strong performance in goal, which included nine saves, to Alisson Becker.
In the French capital, Diogo Jota was relied upon as the Dutchman’s only centre forward; nonetheless, the Portuguese found it difficult to overcome Marquinhos and Willian Pacho. However, things took a turn for the worst when Darwin Nunez was introduced.
Since the manager’s appointment in the summer, the 25-year-old Uruguayan international has had to wait patiently for opportunities under Slot. Now, he’s handed the former Feyenoord boss a selection dilemma for their next match against Southampton.
Nunez Provides Slot Selection Pain
When facing a high-flying PSG, the Uruguayan made the difference.
Elliott’s shot beat Gianluigi Donnarumma’s soft hand just moments after entering the pitch of play, favouring the usually mysterious Mohamed Salah. Liverpool won a match that should have been decided in the first half.
Although Paris Saint-Germain was consistently the more talented team, Nunez’s brief moment of genius and perseverance was necessary to set up their only scoring opportunity of the game. Alisson pumped it long, and Nunez, under duress, managed it effectively.
Then he saw Elliott outside, put him in, and, well, the rest might be history. PSG beat the Reds in practically every category save the one that counts most: the score.
Compared to his teammate Jota, who won only three of his twelve duels, Nunez made a far more noticeable influence while playing only 23 minutes. However, Nunez produced a litany of pandemonium and won two of his six.
Despite not being used to scoring a tonne of goals, the Artigas-born star, who is among the Premier League’s highest-paid attackers, brings chaos to the pitch, which frequently converts half-chances into significant scoring possibilities.
50% (3/6) of his passes were accurate during his little but sweet cameo, which may not be higher than Jota’s percentage (78.6%; 11/14), but the fact that one of his passes led to the game’s lone goal indicates that he was more successful.
As of right now, the future of the former Benfica talisman on Merseyside is unclear. Slot and his group have every intention of selling him and his £140,000 weekly salary when his contract ends in the summer of 2028.
Liverpool Supporters Respond to Nunez’s 23-Minute Performance
“Look, Darwin Nunez is once again making a significant impact at the highest level.”
Although the Anfield supporters usually disagree on what the 33-cap, 13-goal Uruguayan international’s future holds, they all agreed following Liverpool’s important 1-0 triumph over the French powerhouses.
One admirer waxed poetic about the 1999-born ace on X (previously Twitter), writing: “Oh look, Darwin Nunez is making a huge difference at the elite level once again.” It’s foolish to question him and his abilities. He promises results.
Another said that Nunez’s ability to be a constant threat should make him Slot’s first choice at center-forward in their upcoming games, and that Jota’s luck is gradually ebbing.
Jota starting over him still doesn’t make sense to me. Even though he could miss opportunities, he never allows defences a chance to recover. My Chaos Agent.
Nunez is an indecisive figure among the Anfield faithful, and his wastefulness has somewhat irritated supporters. However, one supporter stated that shouldn’t be taken into consideration when weighing Nunez vs. Jota in a selection argument.
Nunez versus. Jota: Premier League Statistics for 24/25
Metric
Nunez
Jota
Games
7 (15)
10 (7)
Minutes
898
821
Objectives/Helps
4/2
5/3
Each game’s shots
1.2
2.1
Each game’s Dribbles
0.4
0.5
The percentage of passes
69.4
72.9
Total score
6.51
6.76
“I don’t care how much anybody hates Darwin Nunez for how wasteful he is,” the authors said. One person said, “There’s no reason for Jota to start over Darwin,” while another said, “Diogo Jota should never play above that man for absolutely any reason because of the ability like that.”
One last supporter thinks Nunez should be trusted as Liverpool’s starting striker since they want to win a trophy in Slot’s debut season. “Darwin Nunez changed the game,” they wrote. Nunez should always start, and Jota should come off the bench!
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