Darwin Nunez was a second-half substitute during Liverpool's win over Manchester City
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Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
Darwin Nunez got a rapturous reception from Liverpool fans on Sunday.
(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Darwin Nunez continues to impress for Liverpool under Arne Slot despite not enjoying the goalscoring output that he might crave. The Uruguayan has been utilised up front in the absence of Diogo Jota due to injury and was among the standout players against Real Madrid - counting himself unfortunate not to have a goal added to his tally.
He dropped down to the bench for the Premier League showdown against Manchester City with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah starting in the wide areas, while Luis Diaz led the line. Nunez was introduced late on and ensured that his impact was felt as he pressed the City defenders from the front and looked to add to the Reds' tally.
There was a key moment before full-time when the 25-year-old performed a thumping tackle in the penalty area to thwart Jeremy Doku before celebrating in front of the Kop. Moments later, he galloped forward and flew into another challenge - narrowly missing the visitors defender.
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Footage has been widely shared across social media of Nunez's interception that denied a good goalscoring opportunity for Pep Guardiola's side. The caption for the tweet is: "This right here sums up Darwin Nunez. Everything for the team."
The Uruguayan seems to be enjoying his football under the tutelage of the Dutchman. In the Premier League so far this season, he has just two goals and one assist - adding to his one Champions League goal plus a solitary assist in the League Cup - and while his output in front of goal hasn't been customary for a striker, he is making an impact across the field.
He added his second goal of the league campaign against Aston Villa at the beginning of November and speaking after the match, he said: "At this moment, I feel happy to have minutes, happy to score another goal for Liverpool.
"I think we did a good job defensively, and attacking I think we were good too. I feel happy, as I said – happy for the team that we have been doing things well and that is showing when we play.
"We have to continue working, with our feet on the ground. We haven’t won anything yet and there’s a lot left to do."