Tony Cascarino jas claimed that Liverpool won’t win the Premier League if Darwin Nunez fails to turn up like he did against Crystal Palace.

The 24-year-old attacker again failed to get on the scoresheet for the Reds as Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah were the heroes for Liverpool at Selhurst Park.

And speaking on TalkSport, the pundit claimed that Liverpool simply won’t challenge for the title if Nunez can’t find his scoring boots, especially when the talent is clearly there for the striker.

 

 

 

 

Cascarino said: “If Liverpool are going to have the chance of winning the league, he’s got to turn up. He’s got to be clinical and he’s got to be in the side to prove his worth. At the moment, I’m watching Darwin Nunez in the last few games, and his games are all over the place.

“His touch is off, he’s running into space and getting caught offside all the time. Liverpool fans love him and we’d all love him, he’s got more goals for Uruguay this season than Liverpool in the Premier League.

“So, be the Uruguayan Darwin Nunez, the player that plays for his national team, the player that can excel at a club where you’re in a forward line that will get goals. I just think there has to be more from him for Liverpool to have a chance of winning the title.”

Darwin Nunez has to get firing if Liverpool want to win the Premier League

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Liverpool came from behind again in the Premier League, this time beating Crystal Palace. Harvey Elliott was the hero coming off the bench to score a late winner.

With just two Premier League fixtures left to come before Christmas, Liverpool is top of the standings by a point. That lead needs to be held, at least, by the time the Reds travel to Burnley on Boxing Day, despite a couple of potentially tricky-matches including against second-placed Arsenal.

And while there is room for improvement, clearly, after a performance that probably did not deserve to be rewarded with three points, Liverpool has every right to be optimistic. Things can only get better, but the Reds are already top of the pile.

“I told the boys that is the first time I saw someone play as bad as we did for 76 minutes and still win,” Jürgen Klopp said during his post-match interview. That sums things up fairly neatly, but the character of the team to keep going and eventually show its quality must also be noted.

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Here’s what Liverpool.com learned and what you might have missed from the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliott were the stand-outs but Mohamed Salah was decisive as well. Next up in the league: Manchester United and Arsenal, both at Anfield.

One thing we learned

Whatever the reason is (quite possibly fatigue), Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez are not firing on all cylinders at the moment. Salah was not scintillating but he ended the game with a decisive goal and assist, and that is the difference between the Liverpool attackers at the moment.

Cody Gakpo did well off the bench and he might get a start or two during the big week that includes Manchester United, West Ham and then Arsenal, but the Reds need a few players to become more clinical. Few looked like creating chances, let alone converting and scoring, against Crystal Palace, and that is a concern.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were not great either, with Elliott and Curtis Jones making a real difference. Wataru Endō needed to be stronger and Alexis Mac Allister was really missed in terms of the build-up. In all areas apart from the goalkeeper, Liverpool can improve — but, as we keep saying, it is still top.

Biggest takeaway

There is no doubt that the title race is wide open. Manchester City is misfiring, at least for now (that could change at any moment), and Liverpool now leads the way after Arsenal’s defeat to Aston Villa. The Reds would have been even further in front if they had not been on the end of a terrible VAR error at Spurs or missed so many big chances in the match with Luton.

Regardless, despite there being a lot of room for improvement, Liverpool is atop the Premier League standings. The potential is there for a lot more to come from Jürgen Klopp’s men this season. If they can realize that individually and collectively, the sky is the limit when it comes to the trophies that could be won. Arsenal slipped up this weekend and Liverpool capitalized but that boost will need to be repeated a few more times before the Gunners are a safe distance away.

A moment you might have missed

You may well have a better idea about exactly what it was, but Elliott’s celebration in front of the away end was filmed and posted on social media, labeled by many as a ‘Dragon Ball’. Essentially involving miming throwing an imaginary fireball, it looked like something Ibrahima Konaté, known for his anime-related posts on Twitter/X, might have enjoyed.

Elliott was an inspired substitution once again, demonstrating his ability to change the course of a second half. He injected some pace and intensity into a lifeless Liverpool performance, and, of course, slammed home the winning goal. While he won’t want to make himself a permanent super sub, it is a role that he clearly fits in like a glove.