When Darwin Nunez scored in the recent FA Cup draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, he ticked off a minor milestone by reaching double figures for goals this season. Indeed, with Mohamed Salah’s 17 strikes, Liverpool became the first Premier League club to have two players score 10+ goals in 2022/23.
The Uruguayan’s effort against Wolves was a beauty. It was not so much his finish which made it so eye-catching, as fine as it was (and important in ending his post-World Cup drought). The sublime assist pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold was what made the move so special.
It was like so many of the best goals Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have scored thanks to their full-backs, with the forwards charging into a deserted penalty box (goalkeeper aside) at the point of delivery. But in a certain way, there was a link-up between Alexander-Arnold and Nunez in the second has, which was more important.
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Salah gave Liverpool the lead in the 52nd-minute of the match, capitalising on a defensive error by Toti following an attempted pass by Cody Gakpo. With the Reds very much on top, Jordan Henderson then forced a corner at the right side of the Kop end three minutes later.
As Nunez headed the subsequent delivery from Alexander-Arnold over the bar, the moment largely passed without notice. However, it was of minor significance as it was an Opta-defined clear-cut chance, the opportunities where you would expect the attacker to score. It was a free header from inside the six-yard box, so that seems a reasonable assessment of the situation.
Nunez’s record for converting these high-quality openings remains sub-par at Liverpool, even with his goal in the first half against Wolves. The former Benfica man has scored eight of his 30 clear-cut chances for his new club, when average finishing would bring 11 goals from such opportunities.
Hopefully he will enjoy some regression to the mean before the 2022/23 season is out. Either way, the fact Nunez has had a ‘should score’ opportunity directly from a corner means he has effectively completed the set of clear-cut chance creation methods.
The most common way in which the 23-year-old has been assisted for a big chance has been an open play cross, which has occurred seven times. Only one has so far resulted in a goal, thanks to a delivery from Andy Robertson in the 3-1 win against Southampton.
In the same game, Harvey Elliott teed up the Uruguayan with an Opta-defined through ball for a goal, just as Alexander-Arnold did against Wolves. Add in one that Salah provided at Brentford – with the resulting shot cleared off the line – and these defence-splitting passes have played in Nunez for clear-cut chances in three of the last six matches he has played. With others against Manchester City and Rangers, these instinctively feel like they could be the most profitable delivery type for the Uruguay international.
He has had high value chances from defensive errors (against West Ham United and Aston Villa) as well from passes played from both inside and outside the penalty box. It’s in the deadball area that he is heating up now, though. Alexander-Arnold set him up from a free kick as the first half at Villa Park drew to a close, shortly prior to their combined effort against Wolves.
Of course, as he has already scored from a corner cross, in Amsterdam against Ajax, it’s easy to dismiss his opportunity against Wolves as largely insignificant. But the Champions League goal was a header from 10 yards, valued at 0.1 expected goals by Opta (per FBRef). No matter how good Nunez is in the air, that will be hard to repeat, whereas if Liverpool’s full-backs can regularly create clear-cut opportunities from corners then further goals should flow.
First things first, though, is getting Nunez back fit, having sat out Saturday's demoralising 3-0 defeat at Brighton with an injury Klopp described as 'not major'. He was badly missed.
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