Darwin Núñez will always divide opinion at Liverpool. He is either the all-action, tireless, and selfless £85 million club record signing who misses as many chances as he scores, or the expensive forward who can never be relied upon when he is most needed.
The Uruguay forward won’t have changed many opinions after his 34-minute substitute appearance in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal first-leg against Fulham at Anfield. Still, he certainly made a match-winning contribution for Jurgen Klopp’s side in a 2-1 win.
His detractors will say that he should have won the tie, however, due to three missed chances after registering two assists — first for Curtis Jones and, three minutes later, for Cody Gakpo — to help Klopp’s side cancel out Willian’s first-half opener for Fulham and secure a narrow advantage ahead of the second-leg at Craven Cottage on Jan. 24.
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Had Núñez scored any of his three clear chances later in the game, it would be hard to bet against Liverpool coasting to the Wembley final against either Chelsea or Middlesbrough at the end of February.
But on each occasion, the 24-year-old saw goalkeeper Bernd Leno keep out his efforts on goal. None were bad misses — Núñez was unfortunate not to score with a powerful header from Gakpo’s 79th-minute cross — but each one added weight to the suggestion that the former Benfica striker is just one of those unlucky forwards.
“I don’t know how to explain the Darwin situation,” Klopp said after the game. “You cannot be more unlucky than him in the finishing situation. He does everything right. He still sets up the goals, that’s really special. Super special.”
Some forwards, like Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, never seem to miss. When Salah has a chance, the Egypt international tends to take it. But more often than not, Núñez just can’t catch a break, either missing an easy opportunity or coming up against a goalkeeper enjoying a good night.
Yet while the debate over Núñez’s value to the team is likely to rage throughout his Liverpool career, the positives outweigh the negatives because he makes things happen. His pace stretches defences, his movement creates space for teammates and because he is prepared to shoot from any position, the opposition can never discount the threat he poses.
Contrast Núñez to Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund. Both are young forwards struggling to cope with the burden of expensive transfer fees — Hojlund was signed for £72m from Atalanta last summer — but while Hojlund has managed just one goal and no assists or big chances created in the Premier League this season, Núñez has five goals, six assists and seven big chances created.
So even though the jury is still out on what he brings to the team, his numbers are actually pretty impressive. What United and Hojlund would give right now for similar statistics.
And no matter which side of the Darwin divide Liverpool supporters find themselves on, there can be no argument that he will play a crucial role in their attempt to win silverware this season. With Salah potentially away on Africa Cup of Nations duty until mid-February, Núñez will have to deliver for Klopp’s side to keep them ahead of Manchester City in the title race and also ensure they progress in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during Salah’s absence.
His contribution will be even more important due to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s most prolific creator, set to be out until next month with a knee ligament injury. Throughout that period, Núñez will do what he always does. He will score some, miss a few more, and create chances for his teammates.
Klopp has yet to fully trust Núñez in his starting line-up, using him from the start 17 times this season and introducing him as a substitute 13 times, but as he showed when scoring twice as a subsitute in a 2-1 win at Newcastle earlier this season, he can be relied upon to have a big impact.
That’s precisely what happened against Fulham. Núñez brought energy and creativity and he made a crucial difference. Whether or not he misses more than he scores, Núñez brings something to the party and that’s all that any manager can ask of a player.