December 23, 2024

Darwin Nunez breaks Premier League record with catalogue of misses – but Liverpool fans still adore him

Nunez #Nunez

Darwin Nunez broke a record for the wrong reasons against Chelsea in a game the Liverpool forward somehow failed to score in.

Liverpool made mincemeat of Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night in a 4-1 win but it could have been a bigger scoreline had Nunez had his shooting boots on.

Nunez had an eventful night at Anfield against Chelsea after hitting the post four times

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Nunez had an eventful night at Anfield against Chelsea after hitting the post four timesCredit: Getty

There was no denying that the Uruguay international was desperate for a goal, hitting shots from all over the pitch in a bid to beat Dorde Petrovic in the Blues net.

He came close on several occasions – so close, in fact, that he hit the post four times.

That is the most times a player has hit the post in a single Premier League match since records began in 2003/04.

In total, the former Benfica star had ten shots – including one that was forced onto the crossbar by Petrovic and nearly struck an OnlyFans model.

But the most disappointing effort would have been his strike from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.

The 24-year-old lashed his effort straight at the post that would have put Liverpool 3-0 up at the time and put the game to bed.

As it happened, the result was already a formality after a dominating display at Anfield with Nunez grabbing an assist in the second-half, a fine cross from the left for Luis Diaz to make it 4-1.

And while some fans might be left perplexed by Nunez’s ability to hit the woodwork, Liverpool supporters love what he brings to the team.

Nunez hit the post with his penalty just before half-time

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Nunez hit the post with his penalty just before half-timeCredit: Getty Nunez loved a shot against Chelsea

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Nunez loved a shot against Chelsea

One fan wrote on X: “Darwin Nunez can hit the woodwork three times in a single game but then do things like that assist for Luis Diaz.

“He’s energy and fun and maybe we need to stop waiting for him to come truly good. Maybe he’s already him.”

Michael Owen predicts Darwin Nunez could become ‘absolute force’ in the Premier League after Mo Salah leaves Liverpool

Another put on social media: “Nunez so good but so unlucky.”

A third posted: “Darwin Nunez is everything I want a football player to be. I couldn’t care less what he misses the guy is a damn genius. Vintage player in modern times.”

While this fan said: “That Darwin Nunez performance is one of the most confusing footballing displays I’ve seen in my entire life but I absolutely love him.”

And another wrote: “You keep Nunez on for 90 minutes all the time. He just doesn’t stop and he doesn’t let his misses get to him. Absolutely love him the mad b******.”

And Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp also played down the misses. “Insane first half, unbelievable. Outstanding. Why do we speak about Darwin? Obviously because he has so many situations where he missed,” he said.

“The first time since we count a player hits the woodwork four times in a game. Think you are in his boots and how that feels. Missing a penalty you could see at half-time he was really upset with himself.

“It’s just crazy that he creates that many. Imagine for a second he would take them all. The numbers would be absolutely insane, to an extent where we wouldn’t understand it any more so it’s normal.

“For us, it’s unimportant. We scored four goals, who cares if we could have scored a fifth or sixth?”

However, speaking on TNT Sports, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler was critical of Nunez.

Fowler, referred to by Liverpool fans as ‘God’ with 183 goals at the club, said: “There comes a point when you can’t be classed as a raw player.

“I think Nunez will score goals and will be a handful but I think there comes a point where he will need to be more clinical.”

Regardless, the resounding win has put Liverpool in a strong position at the top of the table, going five points clear of second-placed Arsenal.

They travel to the Emirates for their next match in the Premier League in a match that could give them real momentum to go and clinch the title.

It would be some send-off for Klopp, who shocked fans by revealing that he would quit the club at the end of the season last week.

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