Darwin Nunez

Kostas Tsimikas believes Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez can keep on improving following winner against West Ham on Wednesday.

[said Tsimikas to LFC TV.](https://video.liverpoolfc.com/player/0_ypd14l70/?feedId=4894e552-b329-4132-bf8d-f5fbafe95f20&page=0&pageSize=20&sortOrder=asc&title=LFC+Recommends) "They fought a lot for the result. We are in good shape, we want to bounce back, and the win against Manchester City was a very important step for us. But every game is different." "I'm very, very happy for him also because I know he's been wanting to score. Every day I work to do better crosses and give better performances. "He's always there," said the left-back. "He can score with the left, with the right, with the head, he's a goal machine. "At the end it was difficult because they pressed us a lot but the most important thing is the three points. "It was a very, very tough game against a tough opponent," "It was a very good moment for me, especially because it was a cross for Darwin because I wanted to assist him. [Tsimikas](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/kostas-tsimikas) delivered the cross for [Nunez](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/darwin-nunez) to head the only goal and earn the [Reds](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc) a 1-0 Premier League home win over West Ham United on Wednesday night. He needs confidence, it is coming and I hope for him he scores a lot more goals and gives us more wins, because for us he is a very, very important player.

Rio Ferdinand does not think that Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is a 'classy' player, although he does have plenty of strong attributes after scoring his ...

“Then we needed a bit more size because immediately. “We have to consider different things. He’s aggressive, he wants the battle, he wants contact. But at the moment, I don’t see him as being that. “I don’t think classy would be one of the words I would use. However, he has picked up in recent games and now has three goals in his last four outings for Liverpool.

At one end, Nunez scored his first goal for Liverpool at Anfield; at the other, the Brazilian saved a penalty before later making a vital last intervention.

[Jurgen Klopp](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/jurgen-klopp/)‘s side, which will need to be retained for the trip to [Nottingham Forest](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/nottingham-forest/) on Saturday. [Alisson](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/alisson/)‘s supervision, the chaos Nunez injects into the side was on show once more, as was the potential he has. [Virgil van Dijk](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/virgil-van-dijk/) explained on Amazon Prime after Wednesday’s match. [West Ham](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/west-ham) and it’s no surprise that it was [Alisson](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/alisson/) and [Darwin Nunez](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/darwin-nunez/). [Kostas Tsimikas](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/kostas-tsimikas/) is not taking him and his “world-class” abilities for granted. [Alisson](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/alisson/) has had, first notching an assist against [Man City](https://www.thisisanfield.com/liverpool-fc/man-city) before parrying away Jarrod Bowen’s penalty, his name deservedly ringing out around Anfield.

The Uruguay international's goal in the 1-0 victory over West Ham was the third time in three starts he has found the net. Nunez could have added to his tally ...

Click here to find out more about our partners. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices.

Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas enjoyed seeing team-mate Darwin Nunez find the back of the net versus West Ham, and would like to provide him with more ...

"I think it was a good save. "I'm very happy for him because I know he wanted to score also. "He needs confidence, (which) is coming.

Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas is keen to feed “goal machine” Darwin Nunez to increase the striker's output. The Uruguay international's goal in the ...

“I think it was a good save. We want to win football games. We want to bounce back. “He needs confidence, [which] is coming. “I’m very happy for him because I know he wanted to score also. “He’s always there.

The Liverpool defender says his teammate is "still learning" but getting better with every game.

We want to improve and I think we showed that in the last three games, so hopefully we can keep it going.” “We have to just focus on the next game, we know how it works,” Van Dijk added of the need to quickly move on to Nottingham. In recent games, though, it’s stared to look like he’s getting there.

A Klopp pep talk and the support of Spanish-speaking team-mates in particular have helped Nunez, who is settling into life at Liverpool.

[James Milner](https://theathletic.com/football/player/james-milner-I98QkCY4xQxQGloS/)’s goal-saving challenge on [Tomas Soucek](https://theathletic.com/football/player/tomas-soucek-PGjiavCiulQ9gDtz/) late on. [Crystal Palace](https://theathletic.com/football/team/crystal-palace/). That’s important not only for him but for his family and certainly our families.” They have invited him, his girlfriend Lorena Manas and their baby son, Darwin junior, to social gatherings away from the Kirkby training centre. It was certainly easier for Diaz, who was signed in the winter window when Liverpool were a winning machine. “I was just a bit concerned about long sprints for him and balls where he stretches his legs,” explained Klopp. Just as important for Klopp was the sight of Nunez linking the play, tracking back, chasing lost causes, closing down space and helping out inside his own half. The language barrier has been an issue for Nunez since his arrival from Portugal for a fee that could rise to £85million ($95.4m). Nunez had six shots, including three on target, and completed 12 of his 14 passes. His name was chanted repeatedly in appreciation of a dynamic, powerful display. Having admitted that going six appearances in all competitions for his new club without a goal left him feeling “a little uncomfortable” and that he needed to “calm his nerves”, Nunez has now scored in each of his past three starts. They explained this was a long-term project and their faith in him was unwavering.

Darwin Nunez had his best outing in a Liverpool shirt to date on Wednesday evening as Liverpool beat West Ham.

Having played just 342 minutes in the Premier League, Nunez's highest-scoring xG in a game where he failed to find the back of the net came in August when he was sent off against Crystal Palace. In fact, with Liverpool entering a transitional phase since the departure of Sadio Mane, the forward has been given very little to work with. As we enter the last weeks of the first half of the Premier League season before the World Cup begins, Nunez can review his opening months in England with an extensive dose of satisfaction. Midway through the first half, as Tsimikas and Carvalho hunted Flynn Downes and Soucek in the hope of regaining possession, it was Nunez who tracked the Czech back well into his own half and subsequently recovered control of the ball 25 yards from his own goal. The pass map provided by Stats Zone [below], highlights Nunez's great capability of acquiring the ball with his back to the goal and bringing others into play, particularly in the half-spaces. For Andy Robertson, it was his lung-busting press against Manchester City in January 2018 that yielded great respect from supporters and later led to the Kop serenading their Scottish star in a basic, yet affectionate, rendition of, 'Oh Andy, Andy'. [Darwin Nunez](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/darwin-nunez) had made a darting run between West Ham defenders Ben Johnson and Kurt Zouma and after allowing the flight of the ball to nestle in his path, the Uruguayan unleashed a fierce, dipping left-footed effort at Lukasz Fabianski. Other than that you would do well to find occasions where the Uruguayan has been unsatisfactory in advanced positions. Nunez's current rate of averaging 0.79 goals per 90 also helps disprove the idea that he has been wasteful in situations so far. Following Nunez's lengthy chat of reassurance with Klopp at the club's AXA Training Centre earlier this month, via the multilingual tongue of Pep Lijnders, the forward already appears far more composed in attacking situations and is no longer snatching at attempts. [his most pleasing performance since making the £64m switch to Merseyside](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-ratings-darwin-nunez-nuisance-25305562) during the summer. While Firmino was typically drifting into midfield to hand Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson a numerical advantage against Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, Nunez was tasked with stretching Zouma and Keher into isolated positions, which would give the Reds' two wide men room to operate between the lines.