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.
Darwin Nunez helped steer Liverpool to victory over Fulham— (Reuters)
As is often the case with Nunez, they can nevertheless paint a confusing picture. The unique Uruguayan is having an impact, though not always the one he intends. He was signed as a goalscorer, finding the net 34 times in his last season at Benfica. He now has one goal in 16 games. But he has three assists in 2024 alone, six in the two-month period when he has a lone goal.
Such is the dichotomy of Darwin. He both won the game for Liverpool and kept Fulham in the two-legged tie. He could have had a hat-trick; if the principal reason why he did not was Bernd Leno, with a trio of saves, it nevertheless conformed to a theme. Nunez can be the forward who gets the chances, rather than the man who takes them. He had an xG of 0.76 from his cameo. He had 12 touches in the Fulham box. Leno thwarted him, but there are days when Nunez feels unstoppable and yet unable to score.
“You cannot be more unlucky in these finishing situations, that’s not possible,” Klopp said. “He does absolutely everything right, yet [the] ball [is] not in. And then he still sets up the other goal. I think that is really special to do that again.”
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring after Darwin Nunez supplied the assist— (Reuters)
It is not the first time Nunez has had a dramatic effect in a short time. Liverpool have the most goal involvements from substitutes this season in all competitions: 30, 12 clear of any of their Premier League peers. And, in turn, the player with the most is Nunez, with seven. This was his second double in a cameo: two assists against Fulham, two goals at Newcastle in September. He has been called an agent of chaos so often the description should be retired but it has a truth.
Yet Klopp’s brand of football is based on engendering chaos. No one does it more chaotically than Nunez. And if his goal-per-game return is lower than last season, the manager feels his performances are better. “He plays outstanding, I have to say it,” Klopp added. “There are so many things I love about his game. The first year was a year to adapt and he scored here and there. But now he contributes in all games. He would have started tonight but he had cramps in the last game. Three days later, he doesn’t start. The boys don’t start because they score or not score. My belief and trust in them, as long as they behave properly, is endless.”
And so, seemingly, is the Kop’s love of Nunez. Some players with his recent goal record would scarcely be welcomed onto the pitch. The chants of “Nunez” denoted a folk hero – Gakpo, who came on at the same time, was overlooked in the ovation for the Uruguayan – and echoed around Anfield again during his 34-minute outing.
“I don’t know how to explain the Darwin situation,” Klopp said. “I am so happy about our crowd, how they take it. I’m so happy about Darwin’s reaction and how he takes it.”
It may be explained in part by the way Nunez helps give Liverpool a distinctiveness. The supporters can savour the originality of perhaps the most magnetically entertaining footballer in the league, arguably the most ridiculous, but one who can simultaneously be one of the most inefficient and one of the most effective. Liverpool are a very consistent team, with a solitary defeat in 36 matches against English opposition, and yet Nunez contrives to be a hugely inconsistent footballer, often within the space of the same game.
But within three minutes, he helped provide two goals in a semi-final. And in the absence of Alexander-Arnold, Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson, who could seem Liverpool’s four main creators, he took on their duties and earned two more assists. Now Nunez has the most assists at Anfield. The specialist in the unpredictable has done the unlikely again.
