Darwin Nunez truth now clear as Liverpool undroppable left with no guarantees

Attempting to fathom what makes Darwin Nunez the player he is has long been a futile endeavour. The Uruguayan’s unpredictability will forever be his most predictable attribute.

And rarely has that been so evident than in the first half of his performance against Aston Villa having been restored to the starting line-up.

As Liverpool players and supporters were left flabbergasted at the failure of referee David Coote to censure Leon Bailey for a foul on Mohamed Salah as the home side countered from a corner – which, with the Egyptian clean through, would have resulted in a red card for the Villa man – Nunez ignored the kerfuffle and ran after the loose ball.

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While pushed wide by Emiliano Martinez, the odds were increasingly stacked against the striker only for Nunez to show great presence of mind to lift his finish over the diving Villa goalkeeper and into the net.

It was an example of the player at his brilliantly instinctive best. But what can happen when Nunez has time to think came shortly afterwards when, again clear from another break from a Villa corner, this time he struck a much easier chance well off target.

Nunez was unlucky with a header wide second half and, in fairness, grew into the game after a slow start. And while he is successfully adapting to Arne Slot’s requirements, it's patently clear there is one way Nunez will never change. How to consistently turn that into a positive is the challenge Liverpool continue to face.

Kelleher poses keeper question

As infamously Arsenal and now Manchester City are discovering, maintaining a Premier League title challenge while missing key players can prove somewhat problematic.

And it has been easy for observers from outside Merseyside to overlook the fact Liverpool have now played more than a month without their first-choice goalkeeper who also has a strong claim for being the best in the world in the position.

But it says much about the continued form of Caoimhin Kelleher that the loss of the hamstrung Alisson Becker has had negligible impact on Arne Slot’s side.

Of course, it helps that Kelleher featured so regularly last season as a result of Alisson’s recurring issues, Liverpool’s defence having long established an understanding with the Irishman.

While Kelleher’s undoubted ability with the ball at his feet has also helped, it’s in keeping the ball out of the net that goalkeepers earn their corn.

And the 25-year-old underlined that value with good saves in quick succession to repel Amadou Onana and then Ollie Watkins from Villa corners, while his willingness to claim set-pieces eased the pressure on the defence and helped keep a ninth clean sheet of the season.

At this rate, there is no guarantee Alisson will automatically walk back into the side when fit.

Salah keeps on keeping on

Having been omitted from Egypt’s latest squad, Salah will have a rare chance to put his feet up over the international break. And how the Liverpool forward has earned it.

Barely a week goes past without Salah breaking another record and he was at it again here with his assist for Nunez’s opener before showing good composure to race away and notch the clincher six minutes from time.

The 32-year-old now has 10 goals and 10 assists in 17 appearances for Liverpool this season, the first player in Europe’s leading leagues to achieve the landmark. And it is the quickest any Liverpool player has reached those double figures in the last 40 seasons, smashing the previous best of Luis Suarez who managed it in 23 outings in 2013/14.

Liverpool have now moved on to 28 points from 11 games, a tally they have bettered only once in the last 34 seasons. That was in 2019/20, when they had earned 31 points at the same stage of the campaign on their way to romping to the title.

Early days, of course. But with Salah in this mood, surely anything is possible for the Reds.