‘Firmino didn’t’: Ferdinand says Nunez managed something Firmino couldn’t against Fulham

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand has been discussing Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan made his Liverpool debut over the weekend.

Nunez came on against Fulham on Saturday, and while Liverpool didn’t get the result they wanted, it’s fair to say that the club-record signing made an impact.

Indeed, the striker grabbed a goal and an assist, changing the course of the entire game with his energetic showing.

Ferdinand was impressed by Nunez’s impact, stating that Liverpool would have struggled without him, claiming that his ability to occupy both Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo was something Roberto Firmino just couldn’t do.

What’s been said?

Ferdinand discussed Nunez’s performance.

“None of them played to their best, Nunez came on and impacted the game, he changed the game for Liverpool, without him they’d have been struggling. It was more about his willingness to run the channels and his aggressiveness, he commanded the attention of two centre-backs when Firmino didn’t, I think it will be Nunez in that number nine shirt from now on,” Ferdinand said.

Nuisance

Nunez’s performance wasn’t the most polished showing you’re likely to ever see. After all, both his goal and his assist were strokes of luck.

However, the fact that Nunez was in those positions to make things happen is what matters most.

Indeed, Nunez constantly got into the spaces between Ream and Tosin, and with his obvious physical attributes, it was almost impossible to defend against him.

If Nunez was a bit more tuned technically he may have had a hat-trick on the day, but his ability to cause chaos in the final third led to Liverpool’s comeback.

Roberto Firmino is a fantastic player, don’t forget that, but in a game against a team like Fulham who were looking to protect a lead, Nunez is the type of weapon Liverpool need going forward.