Diogo Jota needed only one chance to highlight his importance for Liverpool.
The 28-year-old’s cameo in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham provided an immediate reminder that with such a deadly finisher in the squad, Liverpool always have an escape route when things seem lost.
His clever turn and typically calm and composed finish with four minutes of normal time remaining was the type of goal Liverpool have missed in recent weeks.
A two-month absence opened up an opportunity for Darwin Nunez but the Uruguayan has failed to take his chance, struggling to deliver the consistency Liverpool required.
The way Jota deceived Fulham defender Jorge Cuenca and sent Bernd Leno the wrong way with his clinical strike showed the difference between him and Nunez. Had the roles been reversed, it would have been difficult to share the same confidence in Nunez executing the finish.
It begs the question as to whether Arne Slot will now make Jota his preferred No 9, with Nunez being kept in reserve for substitute appearances or starts in games where the stakes are lower, such as tomorrow’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Southampton.
So how do the two compare and is it too simple to say that Jota is more useful to Slot simply because his goalscoring record is better?
GO DEEPER
Why Liverpool’s draw with Fulham could galvanise rather than harm their title hopes
A look at the shot map of both strikers identifies several clear differences.
Here you can see that Jota’s shots on goal are far more concentrated. Although he often drops deeper or out wide to collect the ball, he saves his shots at goal until he is in a position where he’s comfortable to convert — largely in central areas, around 12 yards or fewer from goal.
Nunez’s shot map, however, is far more scattered, with more shots taken from further out and at less favourable angles — hence his expected goal (xG) total is two compared to Jota’s three.
Put simply, Jota is a far more efficient striker than Nunez, scoring with three of his last five shots on goal.
Here you can see how he consistently finds space in the box to allow himself the greatest possibility to score. For his goal against Fulham, he is in a perfect position to pounce after creating the opportunity for himself…
In October, when Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to Jota’s early finish, the Portugal international had two opportunities.
For his goal, he broke into that central area of the box to meet Cody Gakpo’s cross and convert from close range.
The other opportunity at Selhurst Park was surprisingly mishit and sent way wide. Again, however, it was his positioning in the box which gave him such a good chance: Jota latched onto Ryan Gravenberch’s cross from the right but failed to execute the shot.
This is another example of how he coolly slotted home another goal, late into the win over West Ham United in the Carabao Cup. Again, staying within the width of the six-yard box is a key pattern.
Despite playing 140 fewer minutes in the Premier League, Jota has actually had a similar number of shots to Nunez — 16 to 17 this season — which is the clearest sign yet of the changes under Slot, whose side have scored most of their goals from wide attackers such as Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Gakpo.
Nunez’s shooting numbers have plummeted this season. He is averaging 2.4 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League, a drop from 4.5 (2022-23) and 4.7 (2023-24) in his previous two campaigns. Add that to his more erratic shooting positions, and it is no surprise that goals have been infrequent. Jota is averaging an expected goals total per shot of 0.19 compared to Nunez’s 0.13, highlighting the difference in the quality of chances the pair are getting.
Like in previous seasons, Nunez has the ability to convert the more difficult opportunities but then fall short when he is expected to score — an area that continues to frustrate as other parts of his game have improved.
Look, for example, at his ability to run in behind and use his pace to great effect. This is the 25-year-old breaking free from the Real Madrid midfield during November’s 2-0 win in the Champions League but then failing to convert with the shot.
Similar patterns followed in the most recent Champions League game away at Girona. Here, Nunez again charges through the opposition back line to latch onto a through ball. This time his effort is saved.
Later in the game, Nunez gets into another good position by getting the better of the back line but again he is unable to convert.
Last week, Slot spoke to reporters at length in his pre-match press conference to discuss Nunez and the recent criticism around him, and gave an idea of what he wants from any player who operates in the No 9 role.
“For me, he has an impact,” Slot said. “If you only look at goals, he hasn’t scored as many as he wants to score or we want a No 9 to score, but he does have impact in his work rate and that’s not just to prevent the other team from making a chance, but also for us when we lose the ball to be aggressive and we can get the ball back and create chances.
“He’s part of a team that scores a lot of goals and is winning a lot, but of course as a No 9 you want to score more goals, that’s definitely what he wants. I’m not only judging Mo (Salah) or Darwin on goals, I also judge on their work rate and what they bring to the team. That has been positive until now, except for us and him wanting to score more goals.”
While Slot has had a 20-goal season striker in previous teams he has managed – Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord) and Myron Boadu (AZ) – it has not been a requirement for his side to be a success.
As he suggested above, Slot wants a well-rounded striker capable of scoring goals but also consistently contributing in and out of possession.
Jota and Nunez profile as very different strikers, both physically and in their skill sets. Out-of-possession work has always been a strength of Jota’s with Liverpool’s former assistant manager Pep Lijnders describing him as a “pressing monster”.
Nunez has also significantly improved in this area under Slot after occasionally finding himself out of the side under Klopp, with Liverpool’s former manager referencing “pressing” as being the golden ticket into his team.
According to Fbref, he has made 15 tackles in the league this season, winning 13 of them and already surpassing the 12 he won last season. Nine of those have come in Liverpool’s defensive third — a fine effort, but also one which suggests he is drifting far away from goal.
How often Nunez is used with Jota now available will depend on the importance of the game. When fit and firing, Jota can be the difference between Liverpool winning the Premier League this season and falling short.
At present, he seems the most reliable option. Nunez will need to be patient — and ready when called upon.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
