English former football player Michael Owen is pictured prior to the UEFA Nations League football match Hungary v England at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary Michael Owen, a former Liverpool prodigy and lethal finisher in his day, was left perplexed by the performance of Darwin Nunez and in particular of his spurned opportunity to beat Everton keeper Jordan Pickford. Picture: Peter Kohalmi/AFP
Football pundit Michael Owen has slammed the sloppy finishing of Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez after the Reds’ 2-0 Premier League defeat in the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday.
The crushing defeat meant Liverpool’s slim title hopes are all but gone, as they find themselevs four points behind table-toppers Arsenal with four games remaining. Manchester City lurks one point behind Liverpool, but still have six games to play. It means the fairytale end for coach Jurgen Klopp, who leaves the club at the end of the season, will more than likely not materialise.
Liverpool had 23 attempts at goal during the encounter, but could not convert any of those chances.
Owen, a former Liverpool prodigy and lethal finisher in his day, was left perplexed by the performance of Nunez and in particular of his spurned opportunity to beat Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in the first half.
Liverpool fans owe Michael Owen a strongly worded apology he cooked. pic.twitter.com/85Q4nrn0KV
— ZK (@zk_sim_) April 24, 2024
“The one that made my brain explode tonight is the Nunez finish. I cannot get my head around the fact that somebody who a few weeks ago ... we watched him running through against Brentford and he chipped the goalkeeper,” said Owen after the match.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes as to how audacious and classy that finish was. But I said at the time, it was the wrong thing to do. If he’s thinking like that in front of goal, then god knows what he’s thinking in general…”
The talent of Nunez didn’t match his execution, Owen went on to explain.
“This goes to prove, when you’re in this situation when the goalkeeper is the front person. Look at the size of the goal here to the right.
“I cannot get my head around how you can finish like that one minute [against Brentford], be so calm and calculating in one of the most difficult finishes known to man - that was impossible - and then in a simple situation here you put your head down and blast it right down the middle [at the keeper].”