Darwin Nunez, right on cue, has reeled Liverpool fans in once again. But he hasn’t got the support of all the club’s ex-players, with Stephen Warnock slamming one of his recent contributions as “cowardly”.
For Liverpool, the upturn in Nunez’s form could hardly have been better-timed. His assist for Harvey Elliott against PSG in the Champions League was that of an elite number nine, and he followed that up with a game-altering goal and assist against Southampton.
The Premier League title might appear to be as good as wrapped up already, but a shock defeat to the league’s bottom club would have presented Arsenal with the chance to move within four points before Liverpool next kicked a football. After Nunez’s intervention, and another stumble under the pressure from Mikel Arteta, the gap cannot shrink below nine points ahead of the Merseyside derby next month.
So Nunez is riding a wave, potentially moving above Diogo Jota in the pecking order and undoubtedly justifying the decision to keep him in the January transfer window. FSG might have missed out on some money, but depleting Arne Slot’s squad at a crucial time would have been a mistake.
But you cannot please everyone, as they say. And Nunez has incurred the ire of former player Warnock, who seems to have something negative to say about his old club with surprising regularity.
Appearing on the “Ref Watch” segment on Sky Sports, Warnock dissected the Nunez challenge that earned him a yellow card in the latter stages of the first half against Southampton. Despite Dermot Gallagher confirming that a booking was the correct outcome, the former Liverpool man took the opportunity to slam the striker.
“It’s just a cowardly tackle, isn’t it,” Warnock said. “I hate them type of tackles because it’s just disrespectful to a fellow professional.”
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
This poured further fuel on a fire that is already blazing beyond all proportion. I was listening to the game on the radio, and could scarcely believe there had been such a furore when I saw the clip later on.
It is a textbook yellow card. As Gallagher explained, it was “petulant” from Nunez, who took a bit of a wild swipe at the ball — but it lacked the “intensity and violence” to warrant any further sanction.
The whole incident reeks of manufactured controversy. And to brand Nunez “cowardly” for the kind of admittedly unwise challenge the Premier League probably sees every single week seems unbelievably harsh.
Liverpool had just gone behind, so there may well have been an element of frustration in the Uruguayan’s challenge, given that he was never likely to reach the ball. But to say he was “disrespecting” anybody is a major reach.
Fortunately, the vast majority of outside noise regarding Nunez is positive for once, so he should have little trouble shutting Warnock out. He will hope to play another important role tomorrow, when Liverpool faces a huge second leg against PSG.
