Receiving the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold on the half-turn, it took just one sharp change of direction and a firm touch out of Thiago Alcantara's feet to know exactly where he was aiming.
Darwin Nunez had made a darting run between West Ham defenders Ben Johnson and Kurt Zouma and after allowing the flight of the ball to nestle in his path, the Uruguayan unleashed a fierce, dipping left-footed effort at Lukasz Fabianski. Although the Hammers shot-stopper was equivalent to the lofted strike as he just about managed to palm it behind for a corner, the mere audacity of Nunez to try such a spectacular effort had the appetite of those inside Anfield considerably whetted.
Despite being thwarted on that occasion, Nunez would only be made to wait an additional eight minutes for his first Liverpool goal at Anfield. Exhibiting intelligence in his activity as he timed his movement perfectly to dart in front of defender Thilo Kehrer and decisively nod Kostas Tsimikas' whipped delivery into the back of the net.
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For Nunez, his two early openings were the perfect trigger for what was without a doubt his most pleasing performance since making the £64m switch to Merseyside during the summer. On another night, with perhaps a greater slice of luck, he could've been departing Anfield with the match ball.
Jurgen Klopp decided to persist with a 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 shape in the absence of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, which meant the 23-year-old was partnered alongside Roberto Firmino in a two-man attack. While Firmino was typically drifting into midfield to hand Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson a numerical advantage against Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, Nunez was tasked with stretching Zouma and Keher into isolated positions, which would give the Reds' two wide men room to operate between the lines.
While Liverpool's No.27 only received 20 passes compared to the 34 of Firmino, who played for an additional 24 minutes after the Uruguayan was substituted due to muscle tightness, the nature of Nunez's receiving positions underlined how superbly he carried the responsibility as the Reds' focal point in attack.
The pass map provided by Stats Zone [below], highlights Nunez's great capability of acquiring the ball with his back to the goal and bringing others into play, particularly in the half-spaces. Despite still coming to terms with the movements of his team-mates and subsequently completing just 12 passes against the Hammers, the two players he found with the ball most frequently were Fabio Carvalho (3) and Mohamed Salah (3).
Following Nunez's lengthy chat of reassurance with Klopp at the club's AXA Training Centre earlier this month, via the multilingual tongue of Pep Lijnders, the forward already appears far more composed in attacking situations and is no longer snatching at attempts. Even though he isn't cut from the same cloth as Firmino in terms of his intricacies in possession, his organised chaos will certainly give him an added level of unpredictability against Premier League and Champions League opponents over the course of his Anfield career.
Despite boasting the ability to come short or offer a route in behind defences, the most pleasing part of the 23-year-old's display on Wednesday was actually the way in which he endeared himself to the hearts of the Anfield crowd. Midway through the first half, as Tsimikas and Carvalho hunted Flynn Downes and Soucek in the hope of regaining possession, it was Nunez who tracked the Czech back well into his own half and subsequently recovered control of the ball 25 yards from his own goal.
It's that type of mindset, willingness and self-sacrifice that has become the footballing mantra of Klopp's seven-year reign at Anfield and ultimately led to those on the terraces welcoming untried acquisitions with open arms. For Andy Robertson, it was his lung-busting press against Manchester City in January 2018 that yielded great respect from supporters and later led to the Kop serenading their Scottish star in a basic, yet affectionate, rendition of, 'Oh Andy, Andy'.
And Nunez can even examine the current situation of Diogo Jota, who has failed to find the back of the net since April's 2-2 draw against Manchester City, but his off-the-ball importance to Liverpool's new-look attacking quartet led to the whole of Anfield holding their breath as he was stretchered off on Sunday afternoon. H=
As we enter the last weeks of the first half of the Premier League season before the World Cup begins, Nunez can review his opening months in England with an extensive dose of satisfaction. While Erling Haaland's unprecedented start to life at the Etihad has certainly not helped contain supporters' expectations of the former Benfica man, Nunez does in fact boast the second-best xG per 90 in the division (0.87) - only second to the Manchester City man, of course.
Nunez's current rate of averaging 0.79 goals per 90 also helps disprove the idea that he has been wasteful in situations so far. Having played just 342 minutes in the Premier League, Nunez's highest-scoring xG in a game where he failed to find the back of the net came in August when he was sent off against Crystal Palace. On that evening, Nunez spurned two chances in the first half after being teed up by Trent Alexander-Arnold, with his effort just before half-time hitting the post. Other than that you would do well to find occasions where the Uruguayan has been unsatisfactory in advanced positions. In fact, with Liverpool entering a transitional phase since the departure of Sadio Mane, the forward has been given very little to work with.
His progress in recent weeks is even more pleasing when compared to the 'excellent' Gabriel Jesus, who has been credited for spearheading Arsenal's early-season title charge and has just two more Premier League goals than the 'struggling' Nunez - despite playing 517 more minutes than the Uruguayan.
Following a bright seven days for Liverpool and their new summer signing, he will surely be handed a prolonged, uninterrupted spell in the starting XI as they face three bottom-half sides in their next four outings. Darwin Nunez's Liverpool career starts here.
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