The creator in chief, it transpires, is the man who wreaks havoc. There is an improbable presence at the top of Liverpool’s leaderboard for assists this season. It is not Mohamed Salah, though no one has made more goals in the Premier League. Nor is it Trent Alexander-Arnold, even though he can complete passes others cannot even imagine. The Egyptian has a lovely left foot, the Englishman a wonderful right.
But Darwin Nunez has more assists than either, two in three minutes in the Carabao Cup semi-final taking him into double figures for the season. His first assist against Fulham was laced with misfortune for Marco Silva’s side, Curtis Jones’s shot going in via a hefty deflection. His second contained more merit, a surge into the penalty area and a precise low centre for Cody Gakpo to score a goal that may take Liverpool to Wembley. In a three-way battle, it is now Nunez 10, Salah nine, Alexander-Arnold nine. If there is a temptation to think that the duo tied in second have rather more control of what they are doing, the numbers have an eloquence.
