Nunez played a crucial role again for the Reds (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Anyone wanting an overview of Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool career could do worse than sit down and watch the 68 minutes during which the striker appeared here. From ambitious efforts, a stupid booking, obvious frustration and then a match-changing intervention, this was effectively Nunez in a nutshell.
The bottom line, though, is for the second time in three days, the Uruguayan did much to ensure what at times was a difficult and potentially damaging occasion instead ended in delight for Arne Slot’s side.
Certainly, Nunez, while not even close to being the Reds’ biggest underperformer, encapsulated a dire first half from the home team as the impact of their efforts in Paris in midweek became painfully apparent.
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There was one shot on the turn at Aaron Ramsdale along with two acrobatic efforts that failed to trouble the Southampton goalkeeper and prompted a brief rendition of the oft-heard chant from the away end suggesting Nunez is an inferior version of former Liverpool forward Andy Carroll.
And when the Reds fell behind to Will Smallbone’s strike shortly before half-time, Nunez responded shortly afterwards with a petulant foul on Kyle Walker-Peters that VAR assessed before rightly concurring with the initial censure of a yellow card. It was all totally unnecessary.
There was a slight surprise of surprise, then, to see Nunez survive the half-time cull that saw three players hooked by Slot. But, not for the first time, the Reds boss was proven gloriously right in sticking with the forward, who turned in Luis Diaz’s cross to equalise on 51 minutes before putting his finger to his lips to hush the Southampton fans.
Three minutes later, Nunez made himself a sufficient nuisance in the area to prompt a soft foul by Smallbone that referee Lewis Smith deemed a penalty. Mohamed Salah converted and the Reds were on their way to moving 16 points clear at the Premier League summit.
For Nunez, the job was done, his substitution midway through the second half greeted with chants from the Kop that were replicated when the striker took their acclaim after the final whistle.
With January interest from Saudi Arabia not going away and Slot having publicly admitted Liverpool are in the market for a new centre forward, there’s every chance Nunez is playing out the final weeks of his time at Anfield. Seven goals in 38 appearances this season simply isn’t enough.
But after his late intervention at Brentford earlier this year, there’s no doubt the forward will have played his part if the Reds claim their 20th championship. Nine games to go.