Darwin Nunez's partnership with Mohamed Salah guarantees goals for Liverpool
When you think of Premier League duos, you think of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, and Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane.
As a Liverpool fan, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman gatecrash the list, as do Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. You could probably include Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in this too.
You probably wouldn't consider Salah and Darwin Nunez to be one of the most potent duos in the club's history and yet it is.
The equaliser against Arsenal on Sunday was the 15th time the pair had combined for a goal in the English top-flight. They are now in the top 10 for the Reds when looking at most productive partnerships.
For added context here, Sadio Mane and Salah combined 22 times while Firmino and Salah finished on 25 as a pairing.
Given Darwin's bit-part role since his arrival in the summer of 2022, it is quite remarkable that he's struck up such a devastating understanding with Salah.
The Liverpool No9 has been the main creator in this particular pairing having assisted the multiple Golden Boot winner on nine occasions. Salah has returned the favour six times.
It should be more but the erratic Darwin has missed some big chances during his time on Merseyside. His inconsistent form in the final third has divided opinion. Some are frustrated with his performances. Some choose to overlook the misses because he's so impactful in the final phase.
The ex-Benfica man has 21 Premier League goals and 12 assists across a little over 4,000 minutes.
His output has been consistent even though he's been in and out of the team while playing different roles.
The No9 just makes things happen when he's on the pitch. And that is likely why Salah seems to enjoy playing with him as much as he does.
Darwin attracts the opposition which frees up the No11.
Interestingly, 75% of Darwin's assists in the Premier League have been for Salah. To say the pair are on the same wavelength would be an understatement.
They have a strong understanding and they've been able to link up against tough opposition. The pair aren't flat-track bullies.
Darwin has claimed assists for Salah goals in games against Everton, Aston Villa, Spurs, Newcastle and Arsenal.
Against the latter, Darwin showed great composure to pick out a pass for Salah after racing clear and latching on to a Trent Alexander-Arnold clipped ball over the top.
He could've struck an effort from a difficult angle. He could've rushed the pass. He did neither. He slowed down and picked his moment to deliver a pass to the former Roma man and in the blink of an eye, the Reds had their equaliser.
On commentary, Gary Neville claimed the Uruguay international often made the wrong decision in the final third. It is a lazy narrative not backed up the numbers.
Arne Slot praised his No9 after the match at the Emirates, saying: “The last thing (how he kept on going) is also the reason why I kept him on, because if you just keep on going and I see you’re fit enough to keep competing.
“Also, after speaking about Ibou, that is what almost surprised me because Darwin hasn’t played that much yet.
“To then play three games in a row with the difficult fixtures we had, an away leg in Europe and then to be so fit at the end of the game.
“To see how hard he worked was really pleasing. Yes, he had to play deep in the first half, but that had not so much to do with the game plan but with the quality of Arsenal in the first half because they dominated us without creating that many chances.”
The pair combined in the Champions League in midweek against RB Leipzig, albeit inadvertently with Salah’s goal bound effort being poked in by Darwin.
But that goal and the one against Arsenal highlight exactly why they're such a productive pairing.
Both players want to attack space and both are perpetually on the move.
Darwin reacts to Salah's header in Germany by attacking an area he feels the ball will land in. Others in this situation simply stand still and wait to see what transpires.
He's rewarded for his anticipatory action with a simple tap-in.
Salah watches Darwin burst to the right to pick up the pass over the top by sprinting into a central area and making himself available.
It felt entirely rehearsed. It was entirely second nature to the duo.
In a nutshell, that is their partnership. It is natural.
They are progressive in their play and aggressive in their approach. They combine so well because they're so alike, at least stylistically. But they're still different enough for it to work.
Darwin is brute force, chaotic and fiery. Salah, on the other hand, is calm, composed and calculating. Together, they guarantee goals.
These two could soon rival the Salah-Firmino partnership.
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