"Drives me mad" - Liverpool attacker slammed for his actions in 2-1 Brighton defeat

Jason McAteer feels Liverpool attacker Darwin Nunez's 'half-hearted' attempt to win the box cost Liverpool the game as Kaoru Mitoma's last-gasp stunner steered Brighton to a memorable 2-1 FA Cup win at the Amex Stadium. 

Nunez came on as a second-half substitute against the Seagulls and found himself in a sticky situation inside his own box late in the game. As the ball looped toward him, he failed to put his body on the line to diffuse the situation as Mitoma expertly set himself up and slammed home the winner from close range.

Speaking to BeIn Sports, as cited by HITC, McAteer criticized Nunez for not giving everything he had and also feared Liverpool could end up with nothing this season after being dumped out of the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in quick succession.

"I would be critical of Nunez. Watch Nunez. He (Mitoma) does Gomez, fair enough, he tries to block the shot.

“Does Nunez do enough there?! Does he put his body on the line to say ‘I am going to stop that from going in?’. He is there! Throw your body at it. You don’t dangle your leg. It’s the last minute of the game. You defend with everything you have got. Put your body on the line. Take one for the team. It’s half-hearted. It drives me mad. We could end up with nothing this season.”

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

Nunez obviously didn't do well enough to win the ball in the dying moments of the game, but it could also be argued that Joe Gomez was beaten too easily when Mitoma looked to control the ball. Granted, it was a sensational control and finish from the in-form Brighton forward, but Gomez didn't cover himself in glory with his attempt to win the ball.

The England international has looked off-colour in recent weeks and could well be dropped for Joel Matip in the coming weeks as Liverpool look to get their season back on track.