Darwin Núñez made the decisive difference as he returned from the bench for Liverpool, but there was another telling boost ahead of the Manchester City clash.
In hailing the past seven days ‘the week of the Academy’ ahead of the Nottingham Forest game, Jürgen Klopp simultaneously credited the amazing influence of the Liverpool youngsters and also sought to draw a line under the reliance on them. He knew that a number of his senior pros were on the way back, promising a more sustainable route to wins.
With 10 minutes of normal time still to play at the City Ground, Klopp nonetheless offered something of a Hail Mary. He threw on Jayden Danns, no doubt in the hope the forward could repeat his goal-scoring FA Cup heroics, or at least match the industry of his Carabao Cup final outing.
The teenager held his own once again, even if an overzealous challenge on the goalkeeper was a little more like what you’d ordinarily expect from a young striker thrown in at the deep end. But in the end, Darwin Núñez ensured that the headlines belonged to someone who’s legally been allowed to drink (in the UK, at least) for more than a couple of months.
Liverpool writers from across all publications found themselves rapidly rewriting introductions, ones which had lamented a game that had proved a step too far for Klopp’s plucky but ultimately understaffed group. That surely would have been the story if the Reds had not been able to call upon Núñez, but he flipped the script in dramatic fashion.
The injury boost could hardly have come at a better time, with Manchester City on the horizon. Klopp might need to extend ‘Academy week’ a little longer to try and get through the Europa League tie with Slavia Praha, the first leg of which comes just three days before the crunch Premier League clash, but Liverpool will relish the prospect of unleashing Núñez on a high Pep Guardiola line that at times this season has appeared kamikaze.
Yet in the chaos of his 99th-minute heroics, it was easy to overlook another injury return, one that played its own part in the victory. Klopp also turned to Dominik Szoboszlai off the bench.
Alexis Mac Allister stole the midfield plaudits with a delightful clipped ball into Núñez for the winner, with an honorable mention going to Wataru Endō for his tackle to win back possession. But Szoboszlai was involved immediately beforehand.
After Joe Gomez did well to win a corner, it was Szoboszlai who whipped the ball into the box. It’s not a set piece that will be immortalized, like the one Kostas Tsimikas sent in at Wembley, but it did what it had to do — it caused panic in an already-jittery Nottingham Forest box.
This was Liverpool’s 12th corner of the game, and the first to bear any kind of fruit. On a frustrating afternoon, it always looked as though this would be a likely avenue to three points, and Szoboszlai’s return ultimately helped to make sure that was the case.
While Núñez will be hopeful of putting Manchester City to the sword in open play, Szoboszlai offers Liverpool another threat. Especially with Trent Alexander-Arnold still missing, the Hungarian is a very useful weapon to have, not least with Virgil van Dijk seemingly finding a vein of goal-scoring form.
There is only so long that Liverpool can keep picking up results seemingly on momentum and belief alone. But as the Academy chapter looks set to close for the time being, Klopp knows that set pieces can keep his side defying the odds for a little longer, at least until more key performers come back from injury. To that end, the rather more understated return of Szoboszlai could be every bit as important as Núñez over the next few weeks.
