Several Sky Sports’ pundits have slammed Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez for a particular action in the Reds’ 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Liverpool surprisingly fell behind towards the end of the first-half as Will Smallbone pounced on a defensive error between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, in the midst of suggestions of a possible offside.
Although, Slot’s men ultimately came back from behind to pick up all three points, the frustration of going behind lingered for one player in the game and he made a very rash decision on the field of play.
Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker made a reckless challenge from behind on Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
Empire of the Kop reports Chris Sutton describing Nunez’s action as ‘daft’, while pointing out that he could have easily been giving his marching orders for the action.
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Pundits criticise Nunez for unnecessary foul against Southampton
Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch described the foul on Walker-Peters as petulant, while former England women’s international Sue Smith explained the action as a ‘silly’ one.
Although they both agreed that referee Lewis Smith’s decision to award a yellow card to Darwin Nunez was the right decision, it was a needless challenge by the striker.
On another day, in different circumstances, the result of the tackle could have yielded a different colour of card being produced. Former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock was in disdain of the action by Nunez, he said,
“It’s just a cowardly tackle, isn’t it? I hate that type of tackle because it’s just disrespectful to a fellow professional.”
Despite the action from Liverpool’s No. 9, he made key contributions in the second-half by netting the equalising goal, while also winning the penalty that Mohamed Salah dispatched to give the Reds the lead a few minutes later.
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