Arne Slot criticizes Liverpool player for attitude during draw against Aston Villa.

Arne Slot has criticized a player for their attitude following a poor performance in Liverpool’s Premier League match against Aston Villa.

On Wednesday night, Liverpool’s title hopes suffered another setback as they drew 2-2 at Villa Park, leaving them with just one win in their last four games.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead just before the 30-minute mark, but goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins turned the game in Villa’s favor. Trent Alexander-Arnold later rescued a point for the Reds with an equalizer.

However, the drama didn’t end there. In the 70th minute, Darwin Nunez had a golden opportunity to secure a win after Dominik Szoboszlai set him up with an open-goal chance just meters away. Shockingly, the Uruguayan striker fired the ball over the crossbar, leaving Slot stunned.

Despite the disappointment from fans and teammates, Nunez was later seen joking with Villa’s goalkeeper, sparking criticism that he wasn’t taking Liverpool’s title challenge seriously.

Slot seemed to share that sentiment, calling out the 25-year-old ahead of a crucial match against Manchester City.

“I can accept any missed chance, especially from a player who scored twice against Brentford,” the Dutch manager said. “What’s harder for me to accept is the reaction after that miss. That wasn’t the usual Darwin, who always works tirelessly. He was too affected by the miss.

“You can miss a chance, but you can’t slack off. A No.9’s job isn’t just about scoring—it’s about maintaining work rate, and that’s something we need to discuss.”

Immediately after the match, Slot initially defended Nunez, emphasizing that nobody was more frustrated about the miss than the player himself.

Reflecting on the moment, he said: “I saw an incredible pass from Conor Bradley and a great run from Dominik Szoboszlai, who made the perfect decision to square it, creating an open-goal opportunity. But Darwin, despite being right-footed, couldn’t convert.

“I was hoping he’d get another chance. We were all disappointed, but it’s natural for a player like him to feel it more. There’s one player in the dressing room who’s feeling really down—you know who it is.”