Darwin Nunez puts up ridiculous numbers in 34 minutes vs Fulham
Darwin Nunez played 34 minutes for Liverpool against Fulham and somehow put up some of the best numbers on the pitch. The livewire striker stole the show.
Liverpool were pretty awful for the majority of their 2-1 win over Fulham. The Reds struggled to create much of anything for 56 minutes, lacking creativity, energy and any clear way to goal.
What changed on 56 minutes is that Darwin Nunez was brought on. Jurgen Klopp decided to back the Uruguayan just before the hour mark and was almost immediately proven right to do so.
Nunez immediately had Fulham struggling to keep up with him. He was involved in the equaliser as he got onto Diogo Jota's pass and laid it on for Curtis Jones, who promptly fired a deflected shot into the net.
Three minutes later, Nunez received the ball on the left and worked a fantastic cross into the box for Cody Gakpo to finish. That won the game - and the striker got the credit.
But simply highlighting the two assists doesn't explain just how much Nunez changed the game. He just took over and was by far the most dynamic Liverpool player on the pitch.
Opta did a better job of explaining it all in a post-match Tweet.
"Despite only coming on in the 56th minute, Darwin Nunez had the highest expected goals (0.76), the most touches in the opposition box (12), completed the most dribbles (3) and had the joint most shots (4) of any Liverpool player tonight, as well as assisting both goals."
That about sums it up, then. With Nunez on the pitch, Liverpool made far more happen and the Uruguayan was at the centre of it all. No matter what you think of his finishing, the Reds are simply a scarier side with their no.9 on the pitch.
Fulham certainly believe so after tonight.