When the electronic board from the fourth official was thrust into the Stamford Bridge air with 11 minutes remaining on Tuesday night, it prompted many quizzical looks from Liverpool supporters in the away end and those watching at home.
The sight of the number 27 to signify Darwin Nunez's premature departure from the forgettable goalless draw against Chelsea was confusing for those who had regarded the Uruguayan as the Reds' biggest goal threat during the second half.
It later emerged Liverpool were, quite understandably, looking to manage the minutes of the Uruguay international after an ankle complaint suffered in the Champions League exit at Real Madrid last month.
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But it was sufficient to prompt further debate on the effectiveness of the 23-year-old since arriving from Benfica in a deal that could ultimately cost the Reds a club record £85million.
One common observation is Nunez has had an underwhelming campaign with a goal return of 14 in 30 games thus far.
Yes, for the eye-watering outlay, Liverpool may have expected more. But Nunez wasn't bought for just one season and, still only 23 and having had to adapt to a new country, league and language as part of a team that has suffered a huge dip in form this campaign, it's hardly surprising he hasn't reached the heights consistently.
But take a look at how many Premier League players have, in all competitions, scored more times than Nunez this campaign. Inevitably, Erling Haaland of Manchester City leads the way on a whopping 42 goals. Then comes Manchester United's Marcus Rashford on 28. Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur has scored 24, Nunez's team-mate Mohamed Salah 23 and Brentford forward Ivan Toney 18.
That, though, is it. Just five players. If Nunez has apparently struggled, what does that say about almost everyone else?
Intriguingly, 11 of those 14 goals - along with three of his four assists - have come in the forward's 24 starts. And two of the remaining three goals and his other assist from the bench came way back in his first two appearances, the Community Shield win against Manchester City and opening Premier League draw at Fulham.
While recurring injuries have checked momentum at inopportune moments, Nunez has actually only missed four games this season due to fitness issues. The other three absences came following the red card on his home debut against Crystal Palace for which he has since heeded his lesson - Nunez has subsequently picked up just two bookings.
Chances haven't been a problem - only Haaland, Kane, Salah, Rashford and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins have had more shots on target this season in the Premier League, while no player has averaged more shots overall whether on or off target - but converting them has been a different issue.
It hasn't helped that Nunez has not had a settled position, starting down the centre for the first part of the campaign but then shifted more permanently to the left following the January arrival of Cody Gakpo. Nevertheless, his goals are split equally between playing on the wing and leading the line.
And the adjustment to the unique demands of playing in England have meant he has so far lasted the full 90 minutes only seven times as a Liverpool player.
Compare Nunez's first season to those of other prominent Liverpool forwards in recent years. Roberto Firmino scored 11 in 49 games in 2015/16, Sadio Mane managed 13 in 29 outings the following year and Diogo Jota netted 13 in 30 in 2020/21. All three scored more times in their second season. Mohamed Salah's 44 goals in 2017/18 remains the outlier although, like all of the above except Firmino, he had previous experience of playing in England.
For Nunez, first season adaptation is nothing new having scored 14 times in 44 games in 2020/21 when first arriving in Portugal with Benfica from Spanish side Almeria. He scored 34 in 41 the following campaign, which was sufficient for Liverpool to pounce last summer.
And while a different sort of forward, Nunez will be encouraged by the fortunes of fellow Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez at Anfield, who scored 21 times in 52 in his first season-and-a-half before reaching the 30-goal mark in successive campaigns.
“Obviously, I still have many things to work on, for example my finishing," said Nunez earlier this year. "But I think the same thing is happening to me as happened to Suarez. In his second year, he tore it up.
“Something similar happened to me already at Benfica. The first year went very badly for me and in the second, I exploded. Here, I think the same thing is happening. I hope next season will be like that. I’ll put my best forward and hopefully I’ll get a bit of luck.”
And with 10 games still remaining of the current campaign, Nunez has plenty of opportunity to build momentum and hit the ground running next season.
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