Darwin Nunez was praised by Arne Slot for his performance against Arsenal but one moment in particular will likely infuriate both player and manager, involving Gabriel Magalhees.
Deep in added time of the first half, the Brazilian defender attempted to keep the ball in the corner of his own half of the pitch and our No.9 was tasked with trying to win the ball back.
Being as enthusiastic as ever, the Uruguayan was up for a tussle yet the assistant referee on the sideline seemed equally as keen to give a free kick against our forward.
When the incident is watched back, it’s clear that there was very little wrong with what the 25-year-old did to his opponent and the decision to award a foul was laughable.
VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards
OR on X with the FCA’s one-click X link with:
I am voting for @empireofthekop in @The_FCAs for #BestClubContentCreator (Premier League)
Gabriel tried his best to antagonise Darwin Nunez all game
With our head coach already explaining how he was booked because the fourth official misheard what he said to Ibou Konate, this is just yet another example of refereeing inadequacies in the Premier League.
The Gunners’ No.6 tries his best to be an antagonistic character and it seemed that this clear cheating certainly factored into the knee injury he picked up in the second half, after again diving following contact with our striker.
It’s no surprise to see Mikel Arteta’s players stoop to this level of sportsmanship and is an indictment of the ‘dark arts’ and negative football they’re currently famed for.
You can watch Nunez’s clash with Gabriel (from 55:11) via LFCTV Go:
Or via @ali9szn on X:
Arne Slot’s Liverpool reign is about to be turbocharged as Reds enter rollercoaster fixture sequence