Darwin Núñez has forced Liverpool to reevaluate after passing Son-Heung min and matching Sadio Mané

Darwin Núñez has forced Liverpool to reevaluate after passing Son-Heung min and matching Sadio Mané.

Darwin Núñez, a centre forward for Liverpool, has joined an elite club at Anfield and has once again altered the narrative surrounding his form, despite his unhappiness.

A video of Liverpool’s players making their way back to the dressing room via the tunnel was shared on the team’s official social media accounts following Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Fulham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal. Supporters said they heard striker Darwin Núñez express a clear sign of dissatisfaction.

He may have said in Spanish, “Brother, the ball just doesn’t want to go in,” according to Rousing The Kop. Regardless of whether that was true or not, it would fit with what happened on the field, as Núñez, making his 34-minute cameo from the bench, fired four shots but was unable to find the back of the net.

The Uruguayan’s biggest issue in this situation was that Bernd Leno, the Fulham custodian, was an inspirational player. After Cody Gakpo’s cross, he was able to muster tremendous force on a flicked header, but the former Arsenal player managed to tip the ball over the top. Later, when he attempted to bury Conor Bradley’s throw with Anfield midway through their celebration, the ‘keeper’s knees thwarted him.

Núñez has only managed one goal in his previous 15 Liverpool games, which is a startling figure. However, he was instrumental in this comeback victory by setting up both of the goals. He did make a fairly simple three- or four-yard layoff ball to Curtis Jones, but his cut-back to set up Gakpo was far more noteworthy.

Just passed the halfway point of the season, Núñez already has double digits in assists, topping the Liverpool list. For comparison, only once throughout his time at Anfield did Sadio Mané, Georginio Wijnaldum, and James Milner accomplish this. In addition, Roberto Firmino has done it three times, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold four times each, and Mohamed Salah five times.

Núñez has now contributed 18 direct goals in 30 games overall, and that would be considered a great performance if he were only evaluated as a “forward” rather than a striker. To be sure, any great wide player would be praised for a comeback like that, as would colleagues Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz, and Gakpo. The table below illustrates how Núñez, 24, has scored more goals this season than any other forward based in England in all competitions. On Wednesday, he surpassed Son-Heung min of Tottenham.

Rank Player G+A
1 Mohamed Salah 27
2 Erling Haaland 24
3 Ollie Watkins 24
4 Bukayo Saka 21
5 Julian Álvarez 20
6 Jarrod Bowen 19
7 Darwin Núñez 18
8 Son-Heung min 17
9 Leon Bailey 17
10 João Pedro 17

Naturally, we must exercise caution when purposefully distorting the story to the point where we lose sight of football’s core principles – it remains true that Núñez is passing up far too many excellent chances. But if you look at his play from a slightly different angle, you can see why Jürgen Klopp is still quite happy with his nine.

When he plays, Liverpool is a significantly better team, and that is hard to dispute. In the Premier League, the Reds average 2.4 goals per ninety minutes when he plays; when he doesn’t, they only average 1.9.

On Wednesday, the Reds’ worth for him was evident once more. You could tell he would absolutely create chances, therefore he was a fantastic match. Even if he didn’t get them all, this was still preferable to Liverpool having the ball under control and producing nothing of note.

Núñez’s story appears to change with each game, but even though he didn’t score, matches like this will only deepen his relationship with his fans. Despite all of his shortcomings, he surely gives his teammates and the stadium a boost of energy.

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