'He is unstoppable' - Liverpool star Nunez had an 'exceptional game' against Aston Villa despite missed chances, insists Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Darwin Nunez is "unstoppable" despite his struggles in front of goal during Liverpool's Boxing Day win at Aston Villa.

Nunez missed a few chances against Villa
Set up Stefan Bajcetic for the third
Klopp not losing sleep over his lack of goals

WHAT HAPPENED? Nunez forgot his scoring boots in Liverpool's 3-1 away win against Aston Villa but played a crucial role in setting up Stefan Bajcetic's first goal for the Reds. Despite being unable to convert a few gilt-edged opportunities of his own, the Uruguayan also impacted the game with his intelligent runs in behind the Villa defence. Klopp is aware of the criticism being aimed at Nunez due to his wastefulness in front of goal, but is not worried about his progress at Anfield and insists he had an "exceptional game" at Villa Park.

WHAT THEY SAID: The Liverpool boss told reporters after the match: "It’s not as though he can close his eyes and hit the ball in. The scoring, in the beginning, is not so important. I am not since yesterday in the business and so I know. When you look back, you cannot imagine how many big chances [other strikers] they made in the beginning. We are completely calm.

“What I really love and what is so special is that in the third goal pretty much everyone in the room, we would have all hammered the ball down and tried to force it. The work rate he put in, the depth he creates for us, he is unstoppable in the moment, there is no defender who can really catch up speed-wise. I know all of the stories around, it is completely fine. He played an exceptional game tonight and we won 3-1, that’s all that counts."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: After a difficult start to the 2022-23 Premier League season, Liverpool are gradually climbing up the ladder and are now in sixth spot with 25 points from 15 matches, five behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game-in-hand. Klopp added on the size of the task facing the Reds as they bid to get back into the Champions League places: "We have to be the pain in the backside for everyone. We are not in the best position, there is distance between us and other teams, we know that. The first two or three are maybe too far away. If they win all their games we have no chance. We have to do our part and it means winning football games. It must be the target, to qualify for the Champions League. We have to go through difficult moments, today we got three points and that’s the best way to get closer."

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