It was almost as if the West Ham United supporters were goading Darwin Nunez into action.
The Liverpool striker was lining up for a first-half corner when away end burst into a chant that suggested he was, to put it politely, merely an inferior version of former Hammers and Anfield marksman Andy Carroll.
They weren’t the first set of rival fans to make such an assertion. But, as is becoming increasingly true of many of Nunez’s critics, their observations were soon made to look somewhat foolish as the Uruguayan gave further proof of why the Reds have committed to paying a potential club record £85million for his services.
LFC PLAYER RATINGS: Darwin Nunez a nuisance and two others excellent
AS IT HAPPENED: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham goals, highlights and reaction
The ball from Kostas Tsimikas in the 22nd minute was inviting enough. Nunez, however, still had much to do, a burst of pace ensuring he reached the cross ahead of Kurt Zouma with his powerful header bouncing into the turf and away from the despairing grasp of Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
The 23-year-old’s third strike in his last four outings, it was also his first at Anfield, his delight at finally scoring at his new home evident in his ecstatic celebration.
More importantly, though, it was the only goal against an obdurate and well-organised West Ham to ensure Liverpool backed up their memorable defeat of Manchester City with another hard-earned triumph, the Reds’ top knots combining for the game’s top moment.
This game was never going to have the same intensity of that tumultuous weekend encounter. But the sparkle was largely provided by Nunez, restored to spearhead the attack having been benched against City.
He showed real appetite for his work, giving Zouma a tough time throughout and regularly harassing Fabianski into hurried clearances. A willing target man and increasingly bringing team-mates into play, Nunez could easily have had a first-half hat-trick, denied a wonder goal by Fabianski and later striking the post with another effort.
Even while still adapting to his new surrounds, Nunez has had chances whenever he has played. Indeed, five goals in five starts is indicative of what Liverpool hope will follow.
And while he was replaced before the hour as Jurgen Klopp sought a different approach to keep the improving Hammers at bay, the Kop made a point of saluting Nunez as the team celebrated after the final whistle. They know nights like this are exactly the reason the Uruguayan was bought.
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