Chris Sutton simply couldn’t believe what he saw from one Liverpool player during the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
The Red were leading 3-2 in extra time when Darwin Nunez cheaply gave away possession 30 yards from goal with a slack pass, and his error was punished in the form of an equaliser from Marcus Rashford, with Amad Diallo then scoring a last-gasp winner for the home side.
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Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast, the ex-Blackburn striker was at a loss to try and comprehend just how the £140,000-per-week Uruguayan could’ve been so negligent at such a crucial juncture in the match.
Sutton said: “Darwin, we love him, but was he… the pass he was making for Rashford for when he eventually scored. I kept looking, thinking ‘What did he see there? Who has he trying to pass that to?’. I still don’t know. I don’t think he does.”
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We were probably all as shocked as Sutton when we saw Nunez making that costly sideways pass deep into extra time, and the 24-year-old would’ve known as soon as the goal went in that he’d made a grievous error.
In the white heat of battle, players can sometimes make misjudgments, especially when an additional 30 minutes are required in such a frenetic cup tie between two eternal rivals. Unfortunately for the Uruguayan, his lapse cost Liverpool dearly.
Knowing him, however, he’ll put that mistake behind him quickly and be chomping at the bit to atone for it in the Reds’ next match against Brighton on 31 March.
Nunez is nothing if not resilient, as seen by how he swiftly moves on from missed chances by demanding the ball immediately in search of a goal.
He’s been in fine scoring form recently, with six goals in his last seven games (Transfermarkt), and we’ve every faith in him adding to that tally when the Seagulls visit Anfield in 13 days time. That’d be the perfect response to his horrendous moment yesterday.