Darwin Nunez is a firm fan favourite at Liverpool but he could be set for a ‘creative’ new role in the side in the coming weeks.
Darwin Nunez had barely even removed his training strip on the Liverpool substitutes’ bench when the Kop began to stir.
Having seen his side first trail and then toil in their efforts to get back into the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Fulham on Wednesday night, the Reds striker was one of two changes made by Jurgen Klopp at the 55-minute mark.
Arriving alongside Cody Gakpo, the fans around the ground made no mistake as to who the headline name was being summoned off the bench and the rudimentary chant of Nunez’s name – one that is in heavy rotation on the Kop’s playlist of terrace anthems – started up once more.
At times, the supporters’ singing of the Uruguay international’s surname has felt more like encouragement and gentle cajoling than anything else. Missed chances, the winning of throw-ins and some general closing down of defenders are acts that have all brought about a ‘Nunez’ chant from the fans since he made his potentially club-record move from Benfica in the summer of 2022.
But on Wednesday night, it felt like it was rooted more in expectation than hope. This time, the roars were not meant to uplift but to embolden and it worked a treat from Liverpool’s perspective.
The statistics will tell you that Nunez finished the game with zero goals, more shots than any other player and two assists to his name but the reality is much more worthy of dissection. If the simple pass to Curtis Jones, that ended with his deflected shot beating Bernd Leno, can generously be labelled as an ‘assist’, the second was much more befitting of the term.
Having got themselves back into the game, Nunez then ran on to a Diogo Jota pass before centring the ball for his fells sub Gakpo to convert with a smart finish that now sees Liverpool head to Craven Cottage later this month as firm favourites for a visit to Wembley in late February.
The name on the scoresheet might have read Gakpo but the immediate chanting of Nunez’s name once more made it clear how much affection they have for him around these parts. Mohamed Salah aside, he is the doyen of the Kop.
From there, Nunez embarked on a one-man crusade to add to the two goals scored while he was on the pitch, forcing Leno into three excellent saves while also curling a free-kick just over the bar. The first was a powerful drive from a tight angle that was palmed away before a header from about 15 yards forced the German to tip it over the bar.
It was the Fulham keeper’s third denial, however, that warranted most praise. Nunez’s left-footed effort from Conor Bradley’s cross was somehow kept out by a sprawling Leno as he became the second goalkeeper in quick succession to suddenly become inspired against Nunez after Martin Dubravka’s heroics in the 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
Nunez only featured for 35 minutes but still posted the highest Expected Goals tally of all players on the pitch with 0.76 and his dozen touches in the opposition box was not bettered, either. His four shots saw as many as three on target, which is an output that was only matched by Jones, who played the full game.
“I don’t know how to explain the Darwin situation,” admitted Klopp at full time. “I am so happy about our crowd and how they take it. I am also so happy about Darwin’s reaction and how he takes it. You cannot be more unlucky than he was in this finishing situation. It is just not possible. He does absolutely everything right and then the ball didn’t go in.”
So, is Nunez just being unlucky, like Klopp claims, with these opportunities? Or is there something more underlying that needs correcting on the training pitches? The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle for the No.9, who has just one goal to his name in 16 games, which came on Boxing Day at Burnley.
