KEY POINTS

  • Liverpool defeated Spurs 2-1 in the league Sunday
  • Mo Salah netted both goals for Liverpool
  • Darwin Nunez assisted Salah's first goal

Jurgen Klopp feels Darwin Nunez still needs to improve in some areas despite Liverpool's 2-1 win at Tottenham.

Mohamed Salah scored both goals for Liverpool on Sunday and his first goal was a Nunez assist as the Reds clinched their first away win of the 2022-23 Premier League.

Reacting about Nunez's game after the Uruguayan striker spent 87 minutes on the field, Klopp said the young player must improve the defensive side of his game. While Nunez was not directly at fault for Tottenham forward Harry Kane's second-half goal, the build-up to the goal began from a miss from him.

After beating Nunez, Spurs defender Eric Dier found Matt Doherty, who immediately passed the ball to substitute Dejan Kulusevski, who eventually set up a superb goal for Kane.

Left out: Darwin Nunez has started just one of Liverpool's last seven matches
AFP

"It was a big blow, an unnecessary goal. It was a great pass from Kulusevski. He comes on and bing-bong and here we go. It's difficult but you have to defend that's how it is, you have to defend the half spaces, the wings," Klopp said in a post-match interview Sunday.

Nunez, who moved from Benfica to Liverpool this summer, has made 16 appearances for Klopp's side so far, scoring seven goals and assisting two.

"Darwin he's a massive threat offensively. Defensively there's still space for improvement. He's on top of that it's super intense for him, but he's only one moment too late and Dier steps in and the next ball are in the box," said Klopp about Nunez's game.

The latest win over Antonio Conte's Spurs would massively boost the morale of Liverpool, who have had a poor start to the league season. After failing to register a victory in their first five away matches of the Premier League, Liverpool finally won on the road Sunday. Overall, the Reds have only five wins from 13 games. Klopp's side has now climbed to eighth place in the league table.

Liverpool have two more games — a League Cup fixture against Derby County and a Premier League game against Southampton — before teams go into an international break for the FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 20 in Qatar.

Soccer