Liverpool needed to answer back on Thursday evening with only a win against Sheffield United being enough to take them back to the top of the Premier League.
In truth, Liverpool couldn’t have asked for a kinder fixture in which to reassert their dominance. The Blades were rock bottom of the table heading to Anfield tonight.
The Reds didn’t start in the best fashion. Only a top save from Caoimhin Kelleher prevented them from going behind inside a minute.
But from there, Liverpool grew into the game. Pushing on with wave after wave of attack, it felt like only a matter of time before they would score.
Thankfully, they did. And when it came it was a gift. With Sheffield United goalkeeper Ivo Grbic hesitating with his kick up field, Darwin Nunez charged him down and rebounded the kick back into the net. It wasn’t the prettiest goal he’ll score in his career, but Nunez got his just desserts for an influential first-half display.
Darwin Nunez back in the goals
Nunez was unusually quiet against Brighton on Sunday afternoon. Having been in top form in the build up to the international break, it was strange to see the Uruguayan so subdued.
But he was back in amongst it on Thursday. Right from the start Darwin was pressing and pushing with trademark intensity.
And according to BBC Sport pundit Dion Dublin, the 24-year-old was a ‘nightmare’ for Sheffield United to deal with.
“Sheffield United are definitely wanting to go in at half-time only 1-0 down,” Dublin insisted. “They are trying to do everything they have done on the training field by keeping it tight, but Mo Salah is going where he wants and Darwin Nunez is being a nightmare – Liverpool will score another without a doubt.”
Liverpool fail to match Nunez intensity
Darwin may have been being a nightmare for the Blades on Thursday, but it would have been nice if the rest of his teammates had gotten the memo, too.
Unfortunately, Liverpool were lacking their usual urgency at Anfield. Too many players were coasting in what should have been a much more comfortable game.
Complacency is something we’ve seen from the Reds before, and perhaps it reared it’s ugly head again tonight.
With United rock bottom of the league, Liverpool were just taking things far too easy. Maybe they just felt a second goal would come of its own accord.
Quite rightfully, the Reds were punished for their lack of decisiveness. An equaliser from Chris Wilder’s side may have been a shock in the grand scheme of things, but no Liverpool fan will have been surprised.
Nunez’s first-half thorn in the paw was about as tricky as it got for Sheffield United all game long. Simply not good enough, Reds.