Liverpool’s hopes of clinching the Premier League title took a significant hit following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday.
Eberechi Eze’s goal in the first half, resulting from defensive errors by Liverpool, secured the victory for Crystal Palace, who claimed a crucial win away from home.
This loss places Jurgen Klopp’s team in a precarious position, as both Arsenal and Manchester City now hold the advantage with the same number of games played.
Despite generating numerous scoring opportunities amounting to 2.87 xG, Liverpool failed to capitalize on them, unable to breach Dean Henderson’s goal.
Several underwhelming performances were evident throughout the team, prompting Klopp to consider changes, particularly Darwin Nunez’s position as the starting centre-forward.
Darwin Nunez’s Shocker Against Palace
The task of leading the line for the Reds fell upon the shoulders of the former Benfica star. However, his performance mirrored the team’s lack of vigor, particularly evident in his inefficiency at the forefront of the attack.
During the initial stages of the match, his shortcomings were evident. In a promising move, he broke into the box, seemingly poised for a one-on-one opportunity with Dean Henderson.
Yet, his failure to execute a shot left him scrambling, resulting in an errant pass that eluded Mohamed Salah, who was positioned for an easy tap-in.
Another pivotal moment arose early in the first half, when Nunez squandered a golden opportunity to equalise the scoreline. Despite finding himself in a prime position within the box, his shot was directly aimed at Henderson, failing to capitalize on what could have been a goal-scoring chance had it been directed away from the goalkeeper.
| Darwin Nunez | Vs Crystal Palace (14/04/24) |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 66 |
| Shots | 3 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Pass accuracy | 67% |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
In the above table, the performance of the Uruguay international during his 66 minutes on the field for Liverpool is apparent. Unfortunately, he failed to make a significant impact with the ball, creating zero chances and missing three shot opportunities.
With only 23 touches throughout the game, Nunez’s involvement paled in comparison to goalkeeper Alisson, who managed 47 touches. This discrepancy underscores his minimal influence on the match, as Alisson held a larger share of possession.
Journalist Tom Maston, reporting for GOAL, assessed Nunez’s performance harshly, rating it at 3/10 and labeling his play as “abysmal.” These observations align with the statistical data provided.
At 24 years old, Nunez has proven unreliable in the attacking role for Klopp’s team, evidenced by his 25 missed ‘big chances’ in 21 Premier League starts this season. His lack of ruthlessness in front of goal was highlighted by a critical miss against Palace.
Given his recent poor performance, Klopp may consider removing Nunez from the starting lineup.
Diogo Jota emerges as a potential replacement, having scored nine goals and missed only three ‘big chances’ in 13 league starts during the 2023/24 season for Liverpool.
In other Liverpool news, 4 Things Jurgen Klopp Got Wrong in Liverpool Defeat to Crystal Palace