Nunez tells critics to “keep calm” as Bajcetic savours “best moment of life”

Liverpool resumed their Premier League campaign with victory over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and Darwin Nunez had a message for his critics in the aftermath.

The Uruguayan did everything but score at Villa Park, playing a big part in Stefan Bajcetic‘s decisive third goal, and was awarded Man of the Match by Amazon Prime.

Fans from rival clubs continue to try and pick holes in Nunez’s game, with the forward missing several opportunities to add to the nine goals he has already scored since his arrival from Benfica.

And in what looked like a message to those critics, Nunez told those that weren’t his “fans” to “keep calm” in his Instagram post after the game.

“We won in a difficult stadium and we’re going for more! Thank you fans for the support. To the rest, keep calm…” his caption read.

Liverpool’s official Instagram page also posted a video of Nunez celebrating as he walked back to the dressing room after the game, with the 23-year-old shouting “Vamos!” as he walked past the camera.

It was the good work of Nunez that led to Liverpool’s third goal on the night, and Bajcetic’s first senior goal for the Reds.

At 18 years and 65 days of age, he is the youngest player to have scored in the Premier League so far this season.

In a heartwarming message on his Instagram page, Bajcetic said scoring the goal was “the best moment of his life” and something he’d dreamt of since the start of his career.

“Unbelievable!” Bajcetic said of the moment in a post-match interview with LFCTV.

“I just came on and tried to run and defend – that was my job.

“I saw Darwin running and I thought, ‘OK I have to go there.’ The ball came to me and I didn’t know what to do – I’m not used to scoring goals!

“I saw the long ball, I know how fast Darwin is and I know how good he is, so I knew he was going to get something on that ball. So I just got into the box, the ball came and I just scored.

“I just didn’t know what to do. I just thought [about] all the work I’ve done, how I’ve moved from Spain very young – that was tough – and it’s just paid off.”

Bobby Clark, who has emerged into the first team set up alongside Bajcetic this season, posted a great image of the 18-year-old looking very pleased on the team bus after the game.

It was also a big night for Ben Doak, who made his Premier League debut towards the end of proceedings at Villa Park, a moment he called “a dream come true” after the game on Instagram.

His fellow countryman Andy Robertson said the appearance would be the “first of many” in his Instagram story.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson were among the others to celebrate Liverpool’s Christmas victory on social media after the game.

A 3-1 win, big moments for two brilliant young players and an imminent new arrival in Cody Gakpo

Boxing Day 2022 was a good one for Liverpool!