Darwin Nunez sent Arne Slot message after Liverpool boss's frustrations boiled over

Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez produced a workman like performance off the bench for the Reds in their 2-1 win over Chelsea.

While the Uruguayan did not find himself with an opportunity in front of goal, Nunez worked hard for his team off the ball after replacing Diogo Jota on 30 minutes after the Portuguese forward went off injured. And in the end, the Reds prevailed against Chelsea thanks to goal from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones.

In the second half, Nunez was heavily involved in plenty of the action at Anfield. He was involved in an altercation with Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile which left Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville calling for him to be booked.

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However, it was Nunez's defensive work rate that will have impressed Arne Slot on Sunday. Nunez won nine duels against Chelsea, was Liverpool's most fouled player on four fouls and made sure to track back defensively to help his team out in a game which the Reds found themselves without the ball for the majority of the contest at Anfield.

He even mirrored Slot late on in injury-time when a foul went against the Reds, with both Nunez and the Liverpool's frustrations clear for viewers at home to see on the TV broadcast of the match. Speaking after the game, Slot said of Jota's injury: "Diogo had to be substituted and I am not sure what it is, but I’d be surprised if he is there on Wednesday [to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League].

And that could mean Nunez will be handed a start in Germany on Wednesday night with Federico Chiesa also having missed the Reds clash with Chelsea. The 60 minutes the Uruguayan forward played against Chelsea was the second most he has played in the Premier League this term after the 3-0 win over Bournemouth which he started.

In that game, the 25-year-old netted a stunning finish, cutting in from the right wing and onto his left-foot to unleash an excellent strike which was a reminder of his quality - which he will need to show if he wants to displace Jota as Liverpool's leading central striker.

Liverpool.com says: "He may not have scored, but Nunez came on off the bench and did the dirty work some top level forwards are unwilling to do. If he wants an opportunity to play more minutes, doing these things will open the doors to added playing time too. He just has to take his chances when they come - which has always been Nunez's biggest issue so far during his time at Liverpool."