'Why does he shoot?' – but stunning strike shows Nunez quality

Liverpool caput manager Arne Slot says helium did not privation Darwin Nunez to sprout earlier the Uruguayan struck a sensational extremity successful the 3-0 triumph implicit Bournemouth connected Saturday.

Nunez, making his archetypal commencement nether the Dutchman, collected the shot wide connected the right, chopped connected to his near ft and sent a magnificent, curling thrust into the acold country with 8 minutes of the archetypal fractional remaining.

The striker's stunning effort completed the scoring astatine Anfield aft a quickfire Luis Diaz treble had fixed Liverpool a 2-0 lead.

Slot said: "My archetypal instinct erstwhile helium changeable was, 'why does helium shoot?'. I would person said, 'why don't you support connected dribbling?'. He made the shot escaped and I deliberation the defender was connected the ground.

"But past it was a fraction of a 2nd aboriginal erstwhile I saw the shot spell successful disconnected the post. Then I was like, 'OK, possibly you are a amended shot subordinate than I was successful the past'."

Nunez, whose finishing has travel nether scrutiny during his clip astatine the club, has present scored 21 times for Liverpool successful the Premier League.

Saturday's effort was his archetypal for the nine successful 5 months and 17 days, since a 3-1 triumph implicit Sheffield United past season.

It was not conscionable his extremity against Bournemouth that caught his manager's eye, though. Nunez carried retired his antiaircraft duties diligently, registering much tackles than immoderate different subordinate connected the transportation isolated from team-mate Alexis Mac Allister.

"Of course, I play a striker due to the fact that I similar him to people goals – but it besides helps if you support a cleanable sheet," added Slot, whose broadside apical the array connected extremity quality from Manchester City and Aston Villa. "[In] keeping a cleanable sheet, Darwin was besides involved."

Nunez had played conscionable 74 minutes nether Slot earlier Saturday, but his good all-round show volition boost his chances of featuring much prominently successful the coming weeks, arsenic Liverpool juggle Premier League, Carabao Cup and Champions League commitments.

Liverpool invited West Ham to Anfield successful the Carabao Cup 3rd circular connected Wednesday, earlier travelling to Wolves successful their adjacent league crippled connected Saturday.

They besides instrumentality to Champions League enactment with a location lucifer against Bologna connected Wednesday 2 October.

"I deliberation you get consistency by 2 things," Slot replied erstwhile asked however the 25-year-old tin found himself arsenic a much regular starter. "You get it by work-rate and you get it by squad performance.

"If the squad show is not consistent, it's truthful hard for an idiosyncratic to beryllium accordant arsenic well. We person to make our habits time by time connected the grooming ground.

"[Nunez] showed a bully crippled today. Maybe helium tin amusement it again connected Wednesday."