Coming on as a substitute, Núñez squandered a golden chance when he sent a close-range shot over the bar after receiving a perfect pass from Dominik Szoboszlai.
The miss attracted scrutiny, and Liverpool’s coach, Arne Slot, admitted in a press conference that he was unhappy with Núñez’s response and effort following the miss. As the criticism grew online, Núñez responded on social media. He initially shared a more emotional post, which he later deleted, expressing frustration at being labeled a “failure” despite his earlier contributions to the team. In his revised message, he wrote:
“I wasn’t the best three weeks ago, and I’m not the worst now. If I fall, I get back up. You will never see me give up. I will give everything for this club until my last day at Liverpool. Resilience!”
Slot addressed Núñez’s reaction to the miss, acknowledging that missed chances are part of a striker’s job but emphasizing that the real issue was his attitude afterward. He said, “It’s not the missed chance that concerns me, but the 20 minutes that followed.” Slot stressed that while strikers will inevitably miss chances, a lack of effort afterward is unacceptable. He praised Núñez’s past performances, especially his goals against Brentford and Villa, but expressed concern over how the miss impacted his play.
Slot also used midfielder Wataru Endo as an example of the mentality he expects from his players, pointing out Endo’s consistent work ethic and readiness despite challenges.
