BIRMINGHAM, England — With the goal at his mercy, Darwin Núñez took aim and fired a shot well wide of the target.
It is a sentence that has been applicable on several occasions since the Uruguay international joined Liverpool in an initial £64 million deal from Benfica in summer 2022. But in his team’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday night, Núñez’s profligacy proved particularly costly as Arne Slot’s side missed out on the chance to go 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with 12 games to go.
From a neutral’s perspective, this pulsating contest was one of the games of the Premier League season so far, with goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins cancelling out Mohamed Salah’s opener before Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deflected strike rescued a precious point for the league leaders at Villa Park. From Liverpool’s point of view, however, this — much like last week’s draw against Everton at Goodison Park — was a missed opportunity to really assert their authority in the title race.
Wednesday’s clash in the West Midlands was the third fixture in a testing run of five games in 15 days for Liverpool. After conceding at the death in the Merseyside derby and edging to a narrow victory over strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, there has been a growing sense that nerves are starting to creep in for Slot’s side as the season nears the business end.
The Dutchman dismissed that notion in his prematch news conference, but at times against Villa, his players looked as if their most fearsome foe was in their own minds as opposed to anyone in a claret and blue shirt. There were fireworks even before a ball was kicked, with the prematch pyrotechnics at Villa Park adding further credence to the sense that this was a mammoth game.
Liverpool started well and got their reward when Diogo Jota intercepted Andres Garcia’s loose pass and squared it for Salah, who rifled into the roof of the net to notch his 24th league goal of the season. But Villa rallied quickly, restoring parity through Tielemans’ superb volley after Liverpool failed to clear their lines from a cheaply conceded set piece. Villa then took the lead in the third minute of first-half injury time, when Lucas Digne’s excellent cross was nodded into the bottom corner by Watkins, leaving the shaken visitors with it all to do after the interval.
Whatever Slot said to his players in the dressing room seemed to have the desired effect as Liverpool made a strong start to the second half, with Alexander-Arnold’s effort taking a wicked deflection off Tyrone Mings and wrong-footing Emi Martinez to draw them level in the 61st minute.
Few players in world football have had to endure as much scrutiny as the Liverpool right-back has in recent months as speculation over his future continues. Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season, has been accused in some quarters of being distracted by the attentions of Real Madrid, but as he passionately whipped up the Reds’ traveling fans following his strike, there could be no questioning his commitment to the cause.
From that moment on, it felt like it was Liverpool’s game to win, and Slot’s side should have nosed in front when Dominik Szoboszlai was brilliantly played through on goal by substitute Conor Bradley. The Hungary international opted to square the ball to Núñez — on for the ever-industrious Diogo Jota — who drilled his attempt wide of the post. In doing so, the striker spurned a chance with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.89, adding another costly miss to his catalogue of moments to forget for Liverpool.
Núñez had an opportunity to atone for his earlier lack of composure when he nicked the ball from Tyrone Mings inside his own half 15 minutes from time, but the forward was unable to get the better of the onrushing Martinez.
“[Szoboszlai] made the perfect choice to square it because from a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper, he made it an open goal chance,” Slot said when asked about the striker’s performance after the game. “It was not Darwin’s best leg — he’s right-footed, of course — but it was still a big chance.
“Very unlucky, and I was hoping he could have got another one because a player like him probably wouldn’t miss two chances in a row. He was very close afterwards when Martinez made a great sliding tackle. I think we are all disappointed, but it’s only normal the player who misses a chance like this is always a bit more disappointed than the rest.”
It must be noted that Liverpool’s failure to secure all three points against Villa does not rest squarely on Núñez’s shoulders. Jota also missed a glaring chance at 1-1, while the visitors’ defensive deficiencies were what allowed Unai Emery’s side to get a foothold in the game.
However, the Uruguay international’s latest display does little to dispel the idea that Liverpool need to enter the market for an elite No. 9 in the summer if the club harbours ambitions of dominating at home and abroad for years to come. With the talismanic Salah out of contract at the end of the season, the need to plan for life after the Egypt international — whether that be next term or further down the line — feels imperative.
For now, though, Liverpool’s focus is on clinching a record-equalling 20th league title, and the point gained at Villa Park moves Slot’s side eight clear at the summit, though second-placed Arsenal do have a game in hand.
Liverpool are now undefeated in their past 22 games in the Premier League; their longest unbeaten run since a staggering 44-game stretch between January 2019 and February 2020. Still, dropped points here only serve to make this weekend’s clash with Manchester City feel even more significant.
Pep Guardiola’s side might be a pale imitation of their usual imperious selves this season, but as reigning champions, they will surely be looking to restore some pride against their visitors on Sunday afternoon following their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid on Wednesday night. City’s defensive vulnerability does mean Liverpool are likely to create plenty of chances at the Etihad. If Slot’s side are to really kick for home in this title race, they must hope that Núñez and his teammates bring their scoring boots.
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