Darwin Nunez says Liverpool "can't afford to relax" after their 7-0 win against Manchester United, and must attack their next game against Bournemouth "like lions".
Jurgen Klopp's men have had a turbulent season but a recent resurgence saw them thrash their old rivals at Anfield last week, putting them back in the race for the top four in the Premier League.
Nunez has scored 14 goals and recorded four assists in 31 appearances for Liverpool since his big-money move from Benfica last year, including scoring twice in Sunday's win over United.
Liverpool travel to Bournemouth on Saturday having beaten the Cherries 9-0 at Anfield earlier this season, but the Uruguay striker knows they cannot be underestimated.
"We can't afford to relax now just because we beat Manchester United 7-0," he told Liverpool's official website. "We have to go into this game with the same mentality and with that same will to win in order to bring the three points home – which is what we want to keep climbing the table.
"In the first game [this season] against [Bournemouth] we beat them 9-0 if I'm not wrong, but this is a different game now. We have to go there to try to beat them again.
"It's like what happened with Manchester United, they beat us [2-1 at Old Trafford] but then it was a different game and we managed to score seven goals. That's football – things can turn around. We have to go there and be strong with the same positive mentality."
The 9-0 game in August saw Bournemouth sack Scott Parker as head coach, since replaced by Gary O'Neil, and Nunez was impressed by their efforts in last Saturday's last-minute 3-2 loss at league leaders Arsenal.
"They're coming into this game in decent form and you can see the changes they've made in their performances," he said. "Against Arsenal, for example, they put in a great performance and were just unlucky to concede in the last minute – but that's football for you.
"Now we have to go and play against them and go there with a positive mindset, not relax for a minute and go out there like lions from the very first second."
Nunez has slowly developed a partnership with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo since his arrival at the end of last season and Gakpo's in January, with the trio scoring six of their seven goals against United (two each).
"Salah is just another thing altogether – he's an absolute star," Nunez said of the Egyptian. "And Gakpo, he got here when we weren't in the best form and he had to settle in as well. We needed to have time training together and now you can see that we're developing a better understanding.
"I hope that keeps going in the same way and that those up front can bring lots of happiness to the fans because they deserve it."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
