Against the backdrop of Liverpool's near-desperate search for a goal, Darwin Núñez came on and scored twice as a hero to help Liverpool complete a big comeback, beating Newcastle with one man left one man on the pitch. Finally, the 24-year-old striker also showed his worth.
In the first two games of Liverpool's 2023/24 Premier League season, Nunez did not start. He played 24 minutes against Chelsea in the first round and then just four minutes against Bournemouth in the second round, which Liverpool won 3-1. Jota is a striker that manager Jurgen Klopp trusts and the Portuguese is clearly in the position ahead of Núñez for a reason.
The 26-year-old may not have the sprinting ability and good body of Nuñez, but he is very agile and intelligent. Most importantly, the Portuguese striker is able to work well with his team-mates around him, rather than the traditional centre-forward style of Nunez. In addition, because of last season's erratic performance, it is understandable that Nunez did not earn the trust of manager Jurgen Klopp. The only way for the Uruguayan striker to compete for the main position is to react every time he comes off the bench.
Against Newcastle, it all finally came. Even, everything comes out in incredible scenarios. Liverpool were 1-0 down in the 25th minute, and in the 28th minute, after captain Van Dijk received a straight red card, they were left with only 10 men present. With increasing difficulties and away from home, Liverpool were almost desperate to seek an equaliser. Klopp replaced Alexis McAllister with Núñez in the 77th minute and it was like an all-out fight. To get one point was an unexpected success for Liverpool at that time.
Even so, when everyone thought everything was arranged, Nunez gave the answer. Just over 10 minutes, from 81 to 92, the Uruguayan star sprinted through the same scene twice before breaking the gate of Newcastle with his right foot.
In an instant, all the best qualities in Nunez were on display, from speed, dribbling and shooting technique. Without fancy moves, Nunez just did the simplest things and became a hero. No one would have imagined that Nunez, who is still ridiculed as a "parallel trader", would be able to play two shots of such quality.
That's exactly what Liverpool need in Núñez. He doesn't need too many shots on goal, but focuses on efficiency. Two shots on goal, both hitting the target and converted into goals. Is there anything more exciting? To be fair, Nunez is not a bad striker. He has the ideal size (1.87 meters tall), speed and excellent pressing ability. That's why, last season, fans expected Núñez to be able to level the playing field with Manchester City's Haaland. However, the consistency of Nunez's shot became a problem.
Núñez celebrated excitedly
If this can be improved, Núñez is well positioned to become the top goalscorer in the Premier League and even in world football, as Haaland has shown. The two goals against Newcastle will certainly give Núñez a lot of confidence and spirit for the rest of the game. For Jurgen Kropp, the German coach may be gradually reconsidering bringing Nunez back into the main squad because of the 24-year-old's outstanding abilities.
Liverpool brought in Núñez in hopes of turning him into a tiger, and now, the hungry beast is starting to roar.
Klopp praised Núñez after the game
Speaking of Nunez after Liverpool's victory over Newcastle, manager Jurgen Klopp said: "Obviously Darwin was suppressed because he didn't get much to play and didn't get a start. He put his energy into those two shots. If there had been a good chance, we could have scored earlier. It was a super mature performance with two top goals. I understand that Darwin was not happy. How can a player be happy if he doesn't start? The problem is that this is the beginning of the season and we need to find consistency, we need to find a team and we need to get results. ”