Darwin Nunes was in fine form the last time Liverpool visited AFC Bournemouth.He scored in both of his last two matches against Toulouse and Nottingham Forest and, after returning from international duty, provided a brace from the bench against Everton in October.
He scored two goals in World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Brazil and an assist in Brazil and has four goals and two assists in his last five games. And those performances have taken him to six goals and four assists in his last 10 games for club and country. The Uruguayan only appeared as a substitute when they traveled to the Vitality Stadium in the fourth leg of the League Cup last November.
The entry of the time stamp will ultimately determine the race in windy conditions. Unable to stop the long ball ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, he latched on to the ball on the left flank, cut inside and fired a relentless effort into the top corner from distance. It wasn’t the first time Nunez won a game with Liverpool. But in the 12 weeks since the shocking attack, that goal has been scrapped.
He scored three goals for Uruguay during the international break against Argentina and Bolivia in November, but his early try against Burnley on Boxing Day was his only goal in the last 16 games since United’s last trip to the south coast. Of course, it’s still impressive. During the drought, he registered six assists, including two in the League Cup semi-final win over Fulham, keeping his season tally at 18 after 30 games. But for a striker who can cost a club-record £85m in add-ons, Nunes will once again be seen as a scorer rather than a creator.
Mohamed Salah’s absence may further increase the need for this rediscovered touch. The Egyptian is ruled out for the Africa Cup of Nations, which could keep him out until February 11, and the hamstring injury he picked up against the Pharaohs shows once again that his availability cannot be taken for granted.
