Dion Dublin praised Naby Keita for the Liverpool midfielder’s pass to free Darwin Nunez at Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. But the BBC pundit then turned to criticise the striker.
Liverpool bowed out of the competition in the fourth round on Thursday night after falling to a 3-2 defeat. Jurgen Klopp’s squad twice pegged back Pep Guardiola’s men after trailing in their first competitive match since November 12. But a third equaliser proved out of reach.
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Fabio Carvalho (20’) and Mohamed Salah (48’) struck for Liverpool following goals by Erling Haaland (10’) and Riyad Mahrez (47’). But Nathan Ake (58’) produced what proved to be a winning goal as the Netherlands defender headed in Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
Nunez had a chance to draw Liverpool level following Ake’s header, however. Keita fed the Uruguay striker to break straight after his introduction, with Klopp fielding the Guinea ace for the first time since winning the Community Shield against Manchester City on July 30.
Keita had been out of action for the past five months whilst he recovered from a hamstring injury. The £53m former RB Leipzig star also managed to play just five minutes at Wembley but enjoyed 20 at the Etihad Stadium. He also picked up a yellow card in the 83rd minute.
Dublin praises Keita but slams Nunez for his miss in Manchester City vs Liverpool
Keita impressed Dublin with the 27-year-old’s pass to Nunez as Liverpool chased their third equaliser at Manchester City. But the 23-year-old frustrated the former England forward by failing to hit the target. The £85m summer signing from Benfica spurned a host of chances.
“It’s a great ball from Naby Keita and Darwin Nunez is onside,” Dublin said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He has to score. Yes, it’s an acute angle but he pulls it past the far post.”
Nunez has produced nine goals and three assists through his 19 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions so far. He penned one of those assists at Manchester City as he cut the ball back to Salah to score. But, per WhoScored, he also attempted four shots on goal.
Only Manchester City prospect Cole Palmer attempted as many shots as Nunez took on for Liverpool. Yet neither of the 20-year-old Citizens gem and the Reds’ possible record signing had a single shot on target. Salah and Carvalho’s goals were Liverpool’s only hits on target.
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