PREMIER LEAGUE
Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez takes unusual Premier League record
The Uruguayan striker was a menace throughout and contributed to his team’s dominance over Chelsea, but had his sights just out.
After a weekend in which the Emirates FA Cup was the story in England, we had a full set of midweek Premier League fixtures lined up from Tuesday to Thursday. On Wednesday evening at Anfield was arguably the pick of the bunch, as Liverpool welcomed Chelsea with plenty at stake. A dominant display from the Reds handed them a 4-1 victory, with a coming-of-age performance for young full-back Connor Bradley, but there was another narrative that grew across the 90 minutes. It involved Darwin Núñez and the frame of the goal.
Darwin Núñez misfiring against Blues
Although he assisted Luis Díaz’s goal that sealed victory, after some strong play to win the ball back, the Uruguayan forward wasn’t able to get himself on the scoreboard, despite numerous attempts. And while some of his efforts were, let’s say, speculative, he can consider himself somewhat unfortunate having gone so close. Very, very close.
Four times Núñez hit the frame of the goal, which included his penalty just before halftime, and he can now ‘boast’ about having an unusual statistic in the English league. He is now the first footballer to do this since the 2003-04 season, the year in which records of that nature began to be kept.
Likewise, so far this campaign Darwin has hit the woodwork seven times, more than double that of any other EPL player.
Additional statistics for Núñez in Wednesday’s game indicate that he attempted a total of 11 shots, with only five of them on target. As a result, he had an expected goal (xG) of 1.45 but ended the game without scoring. Furthermore, he missed two significant opportunities, one of which was that penalty. His passing accuracy was impressive at 94% (15/16), and he received a Sofascore rating of 7.5.
Arsenal, Darwin Núñez’s opportunity to make amends
Liverpool’s next game will take them to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium for matchday 23, in a match that could prove crucial in the run-in for the title.
Premier League champions Manchester City have a game in hand on The Reds, and, along with the Gunners, sit five points behind Klopp’s team. All eyes are now on Sunday’s huge clash, and a certain Uruguayan will be hoping that he swaps wood for net.