Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez will soon serve a one-game suspension after picking up a milestone yellow card in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield.
The Uruguay international unsurprisingly started on the bench for the visit of the Red Devils, where Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz both held their places alongside Mohamed Salah in attack.
While Gakpo and Salah both found the back of the net in the second half, Diaz was largely anonymous on the day, and Arne Slot saw fit to introduce Nunez into the fray for the Colombian on the hour mark.
However, Nunez also failed to make the desired impact, and the South American also found himself in Michael Oliver's book for barging into Man United defender Matthijs de Ligt, although the consensus was that he was maybe fortunate to avoid further punishment.
Replays of the incident - which occurred while the ball was in the air - showed that De Ligt had eyes on the ball as it dropped, but Nunez had a quick glance at the defender before clattering into him.
Nunez's caution was his fifth of the season, and as Liverpool's clash with the Red Devils was only their 19th Premier League game of the campaign, the 25-year-old has not avoided the threshold for a one-game suspension.
Is Nunez suspended for Tottenham semi-final?
© Imago
The former Benfica striker will serve that punishment when Liverpool face surprise package Nottingham Forest - the only team to beat them so far this season - in their next Premier League fixture on January 14.
Unlike red card suspensions, which apply across all tournaments, yellow-card bans are competition specific, meaning that Nunez will be available for Liverpool's upcoming pair of knockout games.
Arne Slot will have Nunez at his disposal for Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham Hotspur and the FA Cup third-round clash with Accrington Stanley on January 11, and the striker will be expected to start at least one of those contests.
However, Nunez is struggling to make his case for Premier League starts, only featuring from the first whistle in seven of the Reds' top-flight games this term and notching just two goals in 15 appearances overall.
The 25-year-old's troubles this season have led to increased speculation over a possible exit from Anfield in 2025, although reports that AC Milan are readying a swoop for Nunez are believed to be wide of the mark.
While Nunez fails to shine in Liverpool colours, Salah continues to rewrite the history books and broke yet another Premier League record with his penalty in the four-goal thriller on Merseyside.
Amad Diallo's leveller meant that Slot's side failed to increase their lead at the summit of the Premier League table, but they still hold a six-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal, who have played a game more than the Merseyside giants.
Ben Knapton
