Darwin Nunez was an important addition for Liverpool in the second half, helping his team win two goals and change the course of their Carabao Cup match against Fulham.
Jurgen Klopp started the 24-year-old on the bench for their first-leg Carabao Cup semi-final match at Anfield, but he quickly made an impression when he entered the game in the 56th minute of their 2-1 victory.
Willian scored in front of the Kop End for Fulham in the first half after some careless Liverpool defending allowed him to get past the defence.
The second half saw Klopp’s team looking even more lethargic, but Nunez’s introduction from the bench had a huge impact.
He squared the ball to Curtis Jones in the 68th minute, and with a strong deflection, Jones scored the equaliser.
A few minutes afterward, Nunez skillfully placed a pass in Cody Gakpo’s direction, and the Dutchman skillfully finished to put Liverpool ahead.
Nunez also had several opportunities to score, and he forced Leno into two outstanding saves.
“It’s like a Jurassic Park movie where the Tyrannosaurus Rex enters the fray, he charges around,” talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface remarked in commentary, comparing Nunez’s impact to that of a dinosaur. and Fulham simply went into meltdown mode.
This season, Nunez has appeared in all four of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup games, with three of those appearances coming off the bench.
With eight goals to go along with his 18 overall contributions, his season-long assist total has now reached ten across all competitions.
The 24-year-old’s entrance gave the Reds new life during a mostly subpar performance.
Prior to Nunez entering the game, Liverpool appeared sluggish offensively, but Fulham was just as bad, missing numerous opportunities to extend their lead.
In the semi-final, which will see the second leg played at Craven Cottage in two weeks, Klopp’s team currently leads 2-1 overall.
They appear to be in the running for the title, since the victor of the tie will face either Middlesbrough or Chelsea at Wembley in February.
