Liverpool fans have joked they owe Michael Owen an apology after Darwin Nunez’s shocking miss on Thursday evening having previously blasted the former Reds star for offering finishing advice to the Uruguayan.
It was a nightmare evening for Nunez and his Liverpool team-mates as they slumped to a 3-0 Europa League defeat at Anfield against Italian side Atalanta.
Jurgen Klopp’s European ambitions were dismantled by the Serie A outfit who now hold a strong lead heading into next week’s second-leg quarter-final clash.
Nunez has struggled to live up to the club record £85m price tag that he arrived at Liverpool with two-years ago and endured another erroneous evening in front of goal against Atalanta.
One particular failed goal-scoring attempt by the 24-year-old has gone viral after he scuffed a chance to give Liverpool the lead when the match was still goalless.
Nunez was one-v-one with the goalkeeper when he shot wide after trying to dink his effort into the net rather than go around the oncoming Juan Musso who had rushed off his line.
The effort ended up sailing wide and fans were quick to back-track on previous criticism of Owen who had told the Liverpool star of a ‘far more productive way to score’.
Nunez was on-target in Liverpool’s 4-1 thrashing of Brentford midway through February, with Owen at the time posting on his X account: ‘That finish from Darwin Nunez yesterday was insane. I can’t stop watching it. And I can’t begin to explain how difficult a skill that is.
‘Moving at pace, the ball running away from you, being inside the box with no room for error. Incredible. BUT, it is also further proof that if he is to get closer to becoming the great player many people think he can be, he has to adapt his way of thinking.
‘I mean, to even consider that finish is madness. It’s a 1 in 10, 2 in 10 finish at best. Learning to slot, dink or go round the GK is a far more productive way to score and will increase his chances to 4 or 5 in 10, thus massively increasing his end return.
‘I’m really not trying to rain on his parade as that goal was pure class. But I’d rather see it when Liverpool are 3-0 up, not at 0-0,’ he said.
The comment initially caused annoyance amongst the ranks of celebrating Liverpool supporters, but it appears they are now in agreement with the iconic striker.
Posting on X after Atalanta’s Anfield win, one fan said: ‘They were cooking Owen for this on Nunez. No lies were told.’
Another simply added: ‘We owe Owen an apology’. Liverpool will attempt to pull off a huge comeback when they travel to Italy for the second-leg next week.
