LIVERPOOL: Liverpool boss Arne Slot said the superb strike that reduced Darwin Nunez to tears came as a big surprise in Saturday's 3-0 win against Bournemouth.
Slot's side were in control of the Premier League clash at Anfield thanks to Luis Diaz's double midway through the first half.
But it was Nunez who provided the indelible image from Liverpool's fourth win in the first five league matches of the Slot era.
The Uruguay striker, making his first start since April, produced a long-awaited reminder of his talent with a brilliant curling effort that beat Kepa Arrizabalaga and went in off the far post.
It was such a bolt from the blue that even Slot was not expecting the audacious effort, especially with Mohamed Salah and Diaz in good positions for a pass before Nunez took aim.
"My first instinct was 'Why does he shoot?' He made the ball free and the defender was on the ground but a fraction of a second later the ball goes in off the post," he said.
"Maybe he is a better player than I was in the past!"
Nunez looked emotional, appearing to wipe tears from his eyes with his shirt, after scoring his first club goal in 15 appearances.
Most of those came as a substitute after Slot's predecessor Jurgen Klopp appeared to lose patience with his struggles towards the end of last season.
Slot challenged Nunez to show greater consistency to ensure he can offer more to the team.
"I think with consistency you get by two things: work rate and team performance," he said.
"If the team performance is not so good it is harder for the individual to be consistent as well.
"We have to work on the training ground and that is what we try to do every day and he showed today a good game.
"Maybe he can show it again on Wednesday (in the League Cup against West Ham) but we have to see."
Liverpool sit top of the Premier League thanks to a comfortable victory that erased the bitter taste from last weekend's surprise home defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The Reds will have only a short stay in pole position, with Manchester City or Arsenal set to go above them after Sunday's clash between the title rivals at the Etihad Stadium. --AFP