“He had a little bit of criticism off me before the game” - Paul Scholes suggests Liverpool star has proved him wrong after win over Burnley
Paul Scholes has suggested that Darwin Nunez proved him wrong in Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley on Boxing Day (26 December).
Scholes was critical of the Uruguay international earlier this month around the time the Reds drew 0-0 to Manchester United at Anfield on 17 December. An excerpt of his comments, as said on Premier League Productions (h/t HITC), reads:
"You never fancy him [Darwin Nunez] to score. I don’t think his technique, finishing-wise, is good enough. I think, as a centre-forward, finishing is all about having that clear head at the right time. The best have it. I am not sure this lad has it. He is emotional. He often makes the wrong choice."
Before the game against Burnley, Nunez had gone eight league games without finding the back of the net. But it took him just a shade under six minutes to get his name on the scoresheet against the Clarets.
Nunez started the move by finding Cody Gakpo down the left flank. Despite being fouled in the build-up, the Uruguayan international got up and made a darting run to the edge of the box.
Gakpo then found the 24-year-old with a drag-back, and the latter obliged, scoring with a curling first-time finish from outside the box. Commenting on the Liverpool striker's 'brilliant finish', the former Manchester United midfielder said, via the aforementioned source:
"He [Nunez] had a little bit of criticism off me before the game for his finishing. I did say (this would be the type of game for him). In these types of games, he seems to come up with something...
"But that’s a brilliant finish. Nice and composed. It’s them other ones, them simple ones that he seems to miss and the difficult ones he seems to put away."
Nunez, who was signed for an initial €75 million from SL Benfica last year, now has eight goals and seven assists in 27 games across competitions this season.
Liverpool temporary league leaders after Burnley win
Liverpool secured a 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day away from home, thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
They had two goals ruled out by the referee after Nunez's opener, before Jota sealed the scoreline in the 90th minute. The win takes Liverpool to 42 points from 19 league matches, overtaking Arsenal's tally of 40 in the table.
The Gunners, however, have a game in hand. They have the chance to retain top spot if they beat West Ham United at the Emirates on Thursday (28 December). Aston Villa, meanwhile, squandered the chance to leapfrog Arsenal in the table.
The Villans gave up a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Manchester United on Boxing Day at Old Trafford. They remain third in the table with 39 points from 19 league games.