Liverpool had to dig deep in the Premier League on Saturday as they beat Southampton 3-1.
The Reds were not at their best throughout a difficult first-half and went in at the break 1-0 behind.
Just before the referee’s whistle to signal the end of the half, there was a flashpoint involving Darwin Nunez, with the Liverpool forward swiping down Kyle Walker-Peters with a late tackle.
On another day, it could easily have been a red card for Nunez, leaving Liverpool one goal and one man down for the second-half.
Ultimately, the referee decided that a yellow would suffice and the Uruguayan went on to play a big role in the Reds turning the game around.
Nunez scored the equaliser then won the penalty which Mohamed Salah converted for 2-1. And having seen the best and the worst of Nunez encapsulated in one, 68-minute showing, Salah spoke after the game to share how he is trying to help his enigmatic teammate.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Mohamed Salah ‘always talking’ with Darwin Nunez
After doing well to set up Liverpool’s winning goal against PSG in midweek, a start against Southampton looked like a chance for Nunez to make another positive step forwards.
However, after a really poor opening half, it seemed fairly certain that the 25-year-old was going to once again take two steps back.
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Thankfully, Arne Slot showed some faith in Nunez and sent him back out for the second-half. Whatever the Dutchman said seemed to work as Darwin went about turning the game around.
And perhaps Salah had something to do with that as well. Speaking via liverpoolfc.com after the game, Liverpool’s Egyptian King revealed that he is ‘always talking’ to Nunez in order to help him be at his best.
READ MORE: What Darwin Nunez was spotted doing towards the Southampton fans after scoring against them for Liverpool
“He is a very important player for us,” said Salah. “I’m always there talking to him. He is very important, we need him.
“And you saw him also in the last game against PSG, he was very important when he came in, making a difference. Good for him.”
Tim Sherwood says Slot ‘not sensible’ to keep Nunez on
Most Liverpool supporters were probably expecting Nunez to be hooked at half-time on Saturday.
Had Slot decided his time was up, there’s really no way the Uruguay international could have had a problem with it.
But Nunez stayed on, and while pundit Tim Sherwood did not agree with that decision, he ultimately had to concede that Slot had made the right call.
“For me, it wasn’t a sensible decision keeping [Nunez] on the pitch after half-time,” Sherwood told premierleague.com.
“The manager is paid to make big decisions and that’s why he’s there and I’m sat here.”