03 March 2024 , 22:30
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp cautioned against baiting Darwin Nunez after the big Uruguayan popped up with the matchwinner.
Nottingham Forest’s supporters chided him with the chant: "You’re just a s*** Andy Carroll," when the striker made his way off the bench on the hour. But those words were rammed back down their throats in spectacular fashion by the striker when he supplied the controversial late blow.
That was his sixth goal in his last eight outings - his 19th overall in a campaign that might yet be regarded afterwards as a breakthrough. “A late goal is always super-decisive and for him, super-deserved,” said Klopp.
“But before people start singing the song more often, that’s the best way to calm it down immediately. They can sing it - if Darwin responds like he did today. I understood it. I think he understood it. It’s the best answer.”
Alexis Mac Allister, who assisted the dramatic winner, also hailed Nunez's impact. “So, a special day for us,” he said after the match. “To win it like that is not easy, we came to a tough place.
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“In that moment I knew it was the last minute and I just had to put it in [the box]. Then Darwin did the rest. As always, he's an important player for us. He's back, so we are very happy. It was very difficult.
“In the first half we needed to make runs in behind, we didn't do it. Then second half, we did it a little bit more. We know there is no easy game in the Premier League, this is a tough place, you can see the atmosphere.
Jurgen Klopp had Nunez to thank for rescuing Liverpool late on (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)“So, very happy because it's three points and now we move on and we think about Thursday.” Liverpool are set to face Sparta Prague in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday, with Klopp hoping to lift the trophy for the first time in his career.
“We never had like public targets, we never needed that to go as far as we can,” Klopp told TNT Sports back in September. “First and foremost, I think we all have to make sure that everybody, for the team I'm responsible, [but] that we all respect the competition in the right manner [and] that we respect the opponents [in] the right manner.
“We want to go as far as somehow possible. I would love to go to the final, obviously, but I have no clue if you can reach that because there will be a lot of fantastic football teams in between us and that target. So we have to make sure we perform.”
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