With Mohamed Salah at the African Cup of Nations, the pressure has increased on Darwin Nunez to help pick up the slack for Liverpool and he certainly did that against Bournemouth today.
Going into the match, Nunez had scored just once in his last 16 Liverpool appearances.
However, speaking on BBC 5 Live, pundit Glenn Murray was very pleased with how the Uruguayan was playing as he finally improved his recent scoring record.
Jurgen Klopp’s squad was looking thin on the ground heading into the game, with 24-year-old Cody Gakpo the oldest outfield player on the grid.
With a bunch of exciting but inexperienced youngsters on the bench, it was up to Klopp’s starting line-up to do the business at the Vitality Stadium.
Nunez handed another Liverpool start vs Bournemouth
While goalscoring hasn’t been his forte since his £85m move to Anfield, Darwin Nunez is finding other ways to contribute.
Michael Owen has recently praised the Uruguayan, while Paul Scholes has said that the forward has proven him wrong this season.
Nunez was selected by Klopp to start alongside Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, with Gakpo the only senior forward left on the bench.
Liverpool are firmly in a title race right now and losing Mohamed Salah to the African Cup of Nations is a huge blow.
Not only that, he appears to have picked up an injury that might rule him out of the Pharaohs next couple of games.
The last thing the Reds need is their talisman to return not only exhausted after a mid-season international tournament but carrying a knock as well.
Murray delighted with first-half impact from Nunez
Speaking about the 24-year-old’s first-half performance, Glenn Murray said: “Nunez has been a constant threat, whether it’s on the left, whether it’s through the middle.
“I did wonder for a second when he won the ball back, he just rolled it at a really nice pace out, I wondered if he was going to whip one from 30 yards out, it would have been a wonderful goal if he did get it.
“But he didn’t, he went with the sensible option.”
He added at the end of the match: “Nunez, I think he’s really matured since he stepped into the Premier League.”
Nunez’s decision making has been one of the biggest bugbears for Liverpool fans during his time at the club and there were still occasions against Bournemouth where it could have improved.
He took one shot from long-range in the opening 45 minutes that failed to trouble the Cherries goalkeeper when a pass to a teammate would have made more sense.
While the trio struggled to create too many chances in the first half, they put that worry to bed in the second half when Jota teed Nunez up to open the scoring and the Portuguese bagged a brace of his own.
The 24-year-old then put the cherry on the cake with a fantastic second goal in injury time.
Time running out for Liverpool to act in January transfer window
If Jurgen Klopp wants to sustain a title challenge against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City this season, he might want one or two new faces through the door.
However, the players they’ve been linked with this month have been younger players that could make an impact in the future.
HITC Football understands that they’ve watched young winger Antonio Nusa recently, but Tottenham are in pole position to sign the teenager right now.
If Liverpool made a late bid for Nusa, that could threaten Nunez’s long-term position in the team.
His opening goal highlights just how important he could be for Klopp going forward and his second showcased the quality he possesses.
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