Darwin Nunez has made a vow to Liverpool fans after his horror miss cost his side victory over Aston Villa. Just two minutes after replacing Diogo Jota, the Uruguayan was presented with a seemingly simple chance after being teed up by Dominik Szoboszlai.
But with an open goal at his mercy, the forward contrived to blast over from seven yards out.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot cut a frustrated figure after the miss, and didn’t hide his post-match disappointment either as his side drew 2-2 to drop crucial points in the title race.
The 25-year-old further risked the wrath of club fans after being seen smiling on the field at the final whistle. But he’s now taken to X to address the club faithful, promising to bounce back from his mishap.
“I wasn’t the best three weeks ago, and I’m not the worst now,” he wrote. “If I fall, I get up. You’ll never see me give up. I’m going to give it my all until the last day I’m here in Liverpool. Resilience!”
The post also included an image of the forward celebrating one of his goals at Brentford last month. But his late brace against the Bees on January 18, which sealed a 2-0 win for the Reds, was the last time he found the net.
He now has just six goals in 35 club appearances this season, and was linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League in the recent transfer window. And the reference to his “last day” in his post will further fuel speculation about his future.
After blazing over, Nunez did have a chance to redeem himself but was denied by Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez. Afterwards, Slot’s annoyance was evident when asked about the missed opportunity.
“What I saw was an unbelievable run from Conor Bradley, and a power run from Dom Szoboszlai, who in my opinion the perfect choice to square it,” he said. “He made it an open goal chance.
“Then Darwin, ah, he’s right-footed, of course, but it was still a big chance. Yeah, very unlucky and I was hoping he could have got another one because a player like him probably wouldn’t miss two chances in a row.”
Slot also revealed that Nunez had been downbeat in the changing room. “I think we’re all disappointed,” he added. “But it’s normal when a player misses a big chance like this, he is always a bit more disappointed than the rest.”
