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Our Liverpool FC correspondent with this week's column...

Overreaction to controversial Darin Nunez winner, and more thoughts on Liverpool’s recent form

It has been a quite remarkable few weeks, even by Liverpool’s recent standards.
I don’t think I would have been alone in wondering whether that victory over Brentford a couple of weeks back might have come at a heavy cost, with the Reds losing four key players due to injury during it.

Certainly, the excuses were there if Jurgen Klopp and his players wanted to use them, and it is to their immense credit that they have not only ridden out the storm, but actually emerged from it looking stronger than ever. The performances of the club’s younger players has been a big talking point, naturally, and as a regular visitor to U21 and U18s games, I’ve been thrilled to see the likes of Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas excelling when called upon. The future is bright, if some of these kids can continue their development.

But it has been the way the remaining senior players have stepped up which has most impressed me. Virgil van Dijk is an obvious example, and what a leader he has become, but Ibrahima Konate has been magnificent, so have Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Alister. Harvey Elliott has made huge strides this season, as has Caoimhin Kelleher, and the courage of Luis Diaz in carrying the ball and leading the attack is truly exceptional. And now, with a few players back from injury, the skies quickly start to clear.

Darwin Nunez was the returning hero against Forest, and is having a brilliant campaign for my money, while Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are all getting towards full fitness again. Mo Salah isn’t far away either, I believe. That puts Liverpool in a really strong position to at least go close in the three remaining competitions.

As an aside, to discuss the fallout from the winning goal at Forest, I really am starting to despair at the discourse surrounding refereeing in modern football.