Jurgen Klopp praises 'outstanding' Darwin Nunez despite penalty miss

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed sympathy for forward Darwin Nunez, branding him "unlucky" after the Uruguayan striker hit the woodwork four times during Liverpool's impressive 4-1 triumph over Chelsea on Wednesday night.

In his post-match press conference, Klopp praised the striker's exceptional performance, describing it as "insane" and "impossible to defend".

However, he acknowledged the frustration Nunez felt after missing a penalty and failing to convert numerous chances.

"It's the first time since we counted that a player hit the woodwork four times in a game," Klopp said.

"He was really disappointed with himself about missing the penalty, but he is a handful. It was really hard for him. You could see at half-time that he was upset with himself. He missed a header too in the second half, but then he created a goal."

Master creator

Despite Nunez's misfortune in front of goal, Klopp highlighted the positive aspects of his game, emphasising the Uruguayan's contribution to the team.

"It's crazy that he creates so many. We scored four goals, so who cares about the ones he didn't score? He will score goals; it will come. He is in outstanding shape, still a bit unlucky, so it's all fine," Klopp added.

Despite the Uruguayan's goalless performance, Liverpool maintained their five-point lead over nearest rivals Manchester City with goals from Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz.

Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku managed to score what turned out to be just a consolation goal in the second half.

Another key game

Liverpool now must maintain their focus as they prepare for a crucial clash against Arsenal on Sunday, which Klopp labelled as "massive" in the ongoing Premier League title race.

The quick turnaround between matches doesn't seem to faze Klopp, who stressed the importance of recovery before facing the title-chasing Gunners.

"The next game is coming in four days, which I didn't think was possible," Klopp said. "But the next one is massive. Arsenal. Let's recover and go again."