Nunez sinks West Ham to extend Liverpool’s revival

LIVERPOOL: Darwin Nunez extended Liverpool’s revival as the Uruguay forward maintained his own recent resurgence with the decisive goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win against West Ham. Jurgen Klopp’s side earned a third successive win in all competitions thanks to Nunez’s strike and a missed penalty from West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen in the first half at Anfield.

It was Nunez’s third goal in his last four appearances as the former Benfica star begins to make himself at home after a disappointing start following his expensive summer move. The 23-year-old was sent off in his first Premier League game at Anfield against Crystal Palace in August, fueling unflattering comparisons with Manchester City’s prolific striker Erling Haaland.

But it was too soon to write off Nunez and following Sunday’s 1-0 win against City, Liverpool have recorded consecutive Premier League victories for only the second time this season. Klopp was in the spotlight after his red card for berating the officials during the City clash, while also finding himself criticized for his pre-match comments about the champions’ spending power.

With Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz out for the foreseeable future, Nunez’s fifth goal this season was a welcome sight for Klopp, ensuring the German was in a more peaceful mood on the touchline. West Ham have only won once at Liverpool since 1963, so it was little surprise Hammers boss David Moyes admitted this week that “Anfield is probably as hard a place as you can go in the world to try and win a game.” Moyes knows that better than most after his winless run at the famous old stadium extended to 18 top-flight games.