It’s fair to say that Paris Saint-Germain were the superior side against Liverpool at Anfield and their inspired display was rewarded as they won 4-1 on penalties.
Arne Slot might have no choice but to agree as on another day, PSG may well have beaten Liverpool in regulation had they not been as wasteful in front of goal.
The likes of Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missed crucial chances against Liverpool as the visitors ran riot for much of Tuesday’s contest.
While Luis Enrique’s side dazzled, the same cannot be said about the Reds’ stalwarts.
Mohamed Salah was criticised by the French media as he had a disappointing outing as Nuno Mendes kept the Liverpool winger quiet once again. Cody Gakpo went missing against PSG as well but perhaps his muted showing was down to a lack of fitness due to having just returned from an ankle injury.
But Darwin Nunez was arguably Liverpool’s biggest underperformer against PSG.
- READ MORE: Liverpool set their asking price for Darwin Nunez this summer with striker open to leaving Anfield
French media blast Darwin Nunez after Liverpool vs PSG
Nunez replaced Diogo Jota but he failed to really have much of an impact on proceedings and went on to miss a penalty during the shootout that ended up being a routine stop for Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Jamie Carragher claimed Nunez is “not good enough” and the Reds legend’s statement came to fruition as the Uruguayan striker’s cameo did not help his case.
French media outlet Homme du Match were far from impressed with Nunez’s performance against PSG, handing him a 1/0 rating: “A completely missed entry into the game, where he consistently chose the wrong option. His missed penalty shot reflects his performance.”
Get French Football News gave the former Benfica marksman a 3/10 rating as well, writing: The Uruguayan’s hold-up play was valuable and was the upside that you would expect when replacing Jota, however, as is often the case, his end product and decision-making more generally was found wanting. He then proceeded to miss his penalty.”
While Maxifoot did not spare Nunez either, choosing not to even rate his performance against PSG and describing the Liverpool frontman’s display as “clumsy”: “Clumsy in the game, the Uruguayan was checked by Donnarumma during the penalty shootout.”
Nunez could leave Liverpool this summer and an eternal regret of his could be that his potential final game at Anfield for the hosts was such a major disappointment.
What were Darwin Nunez’s stats for Liverpool vs PSG?
Rio Ferdinand highlighted Nunez’s impact against PSG the last time the two sets met as he set up Harvey Elliott’s winning goal for Liverpool.
But this time around, the 25-year-old could simply not get going.
The statistics further prove that Nunez was nullified by PSG.
| TOTAL SHOTS | 0 |
| CHANCES CREATED | 0 |
| TOUCHES IN OPPOSITION BOX | 1 |
| PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD | 1 |
| TOUCHES | 14 |
The fact that the Carabao Cup winner touched the ball just 14 times indicates how quiet he was.
But what would have disappointed Arne Slot is how ineffective the Reds forward close to goal, taking no shots, creating no chances, taking just one touch in the opposition box and playing one pass in the final third.
The French media’s verdict regarding Nunez might be considered brutal by some but ultimately, the Liverpool attacker cost his side against PSG by missing a penalty and failing to even be a threat upon his introduction.
