Paul Horst’s assessment of the Darwin Nunez-inspired Liverpool side after their 2-1 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg victory over Fulham at Anfield.
As Jurgen Klopp assesses the season during his rare break over the next few days, the Liverpool manager is likely to consider this one of his most satisfying victories. Finally, Wembley Arch was once again on the horizon for the Reds, who beat Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
And, even happier, this was achieved after a difficult period of games in which he played 11 times in five weeks without a key figure. All 11 games across the four competitions have been negotiated between December 3 and January 10, with Liverpool now leading the Premier League and with a foot in the door to the Carabao Cup final and awaiting their opponents in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Add to that a return to the last 16 of the Europa League in March and even the most pessimistic fans will be in no doubt about what will happen here in the coming months. Klopp can celebrate a job well done next week when he sits down at the AXA Training Center for a cup of coffee and a chat with the backroom staff.
The advances are so great that beer can be brewed even when the champagne is on ice. With a rare stoppage in play until January 21, the Reds will be looking to rest tired limbs and improve the fitness of several other players. Next week will be a big challenge behind the scenes. Klopp’s current absentee list is as follows: It was clear why the first half against the Cottagers was a scattered and disjointed affair.
Without the likes of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara, Dominik Soboslay, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker on the bench, Klopp was forced to play without Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo and even Stefan Baicetic and Benak. . So for his side to score a goal to travel to Craven Cottage later this month says a lot about the character of the team these days and the strength of Anfield.
After a season of substitutions, Klopp has done it again here, bringing on Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunes for the second half. The latter provided a pair of assists, including one that needed a clever rebound from the former after Curtis Jones’ deflected effort had brilliantly beaten Bernd Leno to equalise.
In particular, the introduction of Nunes was the catalyst for Liverpool to look threatening again in the final third and the one-man crusader from Uruguay extended their lead after Gakpo won 2-1. It saw him make three excellent saves from an overworked Leno. More broadly, the controversy surrounding Nunes won’t stop until he starts taking those kinds of risks on a regular basis, but there’s no doubt that teams are a threat to him.
On any other day, Nunes could have had a hat trick, dishing out two assists at once. One day everything will go well and the Reds will have one of the most dangerous leaders in Europe. The potential is there, but at this point it wouldn’t hurt to rub the green in front of the goal. But Liverpool fans are not interested in the main conversation surrounding Nunes.
Their reactions to everything he does says a lot about how much they love him. Fans watched his every move, from warming up to taking off his clothes to taking a free kick on the goal line.The fact that the Kop started chanting his name after Leno was sent off showed who the real seniors at Anfield are these days. Targeting these features will actually make you a new hero.
