Núñez continues to shine for Liverpool, but the debate rages on

Darwin Núñez will always divide opinion at Liverpool. He's either the tireless, selfless club-record £85m signing who misses as many chances as he scores, or the expensive striker you can never rely on when you have the most need him.

The Uruguayan striker will not have changed his mind much after appearing as a 34-minute substitute in Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham at Anfield. Still, he certainly made a match-winning contribution to Jurgen Klopp's side in a 2-1 win.

His detractors, however, will say he should have won the tie, due to three missed chances after registering two assists – first to Curtis Jones and, three minutes later, to Cody Gakpo – to help the team Klopp to cancel Willian's first half. first game for Fulham and secure a slight advantage ahead of the second leg at Craven Cottage on January 24.

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Had Núñez scored one of his three clear-cut chances later in the match, it would have been difficult to bet against Liverpool in the Wembley final against Chelsea or Middlesbrough in late February.

But each time, the 24-year-old saw goalkeeper Bernd Leno push away his efforts on goal. None missed – Núñez was unlucky not to score with a powerful header from a Gakpo cross in the 79th minute – but each added weight to the suggestion that the former Benfica striker is not than one of those unlucky attackers.

“I don’t know how to explain Darwin’s situation,” Klopp said after the match. “You can't be more unlucky than him in the final situation. He does everything right. He always sets the goals, it's really special. Super special.”

Some attackers, like Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, never seem to miss. When Salah gets a chance, the Egypt international tends to take it. But more often than not, Núñez fails to make the break, either by missing an easy opportunity or by coming up against a goalkeeper who is enjoying a good evening.

Yet while the debate over Núñez's value to the team is likely to rage throughout his Liverpool career, the positives outweigh the negatives as he makes things happen. His pace stretches defenses, his movement creates space for his teammates and as he is willing to shoot from any position, the opposition can never ignore the threat he poses.

Compare Núñez to Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund. Both are young strikers struggling to cope with the burden of expensive transfer fees – Hojlund was signed for £72m by Atalanta last summer – but while Hojlund has only managed one goal and no assists or big chances created in the Premier League this season, Núñez has five goals, six assists and seven big chances created.

So while the jury is still out on what he brings to the team, his numbers are actually quite impressive. What United and Hojlund would currently give for similar stats.

And whichever side of Darwin Liverpool fans are on, there is no doubt he will play a crucial role in their bid to win silverware this season. With Salah potentially out for the Africa Cup of Nations until mid-February, Núñez will need to rise to the occasion for Klopp's side to keep them ahead of Manchester City in the title race and also ensure they progress in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during Salah's absence.

His contribution will be even more important as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's most prolific creator, will be out until next month with a knee ligament injury. Throughout this period, Núñez will do what he always does. He will score some, miss a few more and create chances for his teammates.

Klopp is yet to fully trust Núñez in his starting XI, using him from the start 17 times this season and introducing him as a substitute 13 times, but as he showed by scoring twice as a substitute in 'a 2-1 victory at Newcastle. earlier this season, he can be counted on to make a big impact.

This is precisely what happened against Fulham. Núñez brought energy and creativity and he made a crucial difference. Whether or not he misses more than he scores, Núñez brings something to the party and that's all a manager can ask of a player.