Darwin Nunez will never score as many goals as Erling Haaland - but Liverpool's agent of chaos could become just as influential

For starters, Nunez has developed a useful habit of responding to the jibe with goals. Brentford fans have already been burned twice this season, while last Saturday, it was the turn of their Nottingham Forest counterparts.

"I would not sing a song like that," Jurgen Klopp said after watching Nunez nod in a 99th-minute winner at the City Ground - just half an hour after being welcomed into the game by the home crowd in the usual insulting fashion. "I would not try to wind Darwin up. I understood [the song]. I think he understood it. So, that's the best answer."

Indeed, while Nunez quite clearly remains a work in progress, the Carroll comparison just no longer holds up. Liverpool's No.9 may not be the finished article - maybe he never will be either - but he is far from a flop.

In fact, for arguably the first time since the 2022 Community Shield, Nunez actually looks capable of becoming as valuable to Liverpool as Haaland is to City.

Goals are obviously the most precious commodity in football, and Nunez is still nowhere near as clinical or as prolific as Haaland. He has scored 31 times in total since joining Liverpool from Benfica - his Norwegian rival has hit 29 goals this season alone.

There's also no denying that Nunez's strike-rate should be far higher, as he still misses far too many chances. During his first season at Anfield, the feeling was that he was rushing things, and Klopp had to tell him several times to be "calmer" in front of goal.

There has been a noticeable improvement in that regard in recent months. He certainly didn't lack composure when he lifted the ball over Mark Flekken to break the deadlock at Brentford last month.

But even that sublime lob exposed a flaw in Nunez's finishing, as far as former Liverpool striker Michael Owen was concerned.

"I can't begin to explain how difficult a skill that is: moving at pace, the ball running away from you, being inside the box with no room for error. Incredible!" the ex-England international wrote on X. "But, it is also further proof that if he is to get closer to becoming the great player many people think he can be, he has to adapt his way of thinking. I mean, to even consider that finish is madness. It's a one in 10, two in 10 finish at best.

"Learning to slot, dink or go round the [goalkeeper] is a far more productive way to score and will increase his chances to four or five in 10, thus massively increasing his return."

Owen certainly has a point. Nunez may be scoring more goals this season (he's just surpassed his 2022-23 tally of 15 thanks to Thursday night's double in Prague) - but his finishing hasn't actually got any better. As per Opta, both his shot conversion rate and 'big chance' conversion rate have fallen slightly this term. However, nearly every other aspect of his game has improved.

Klopp has freely admitted that last season Liverpool "needed a No.9 who defended the centre perfectly". Nunez couldn't do it then - but "now he can". More importantly, he's also become far more effective from an offensive perspective.

He's repeatedly made a massive impact off the bench, earning the Reds five precious Premier League points so far this season with his late goals against Forest and Newcastle, while Klopp's kids would not have got their big day out at Wembley had it not been for their South American super-sub turning the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham in Liverpool's favour with two assists.

However, it's also no coincidence that Liverpool have not lost a single game Nunez has started this season. They are, quite simply, a better - and more dangerous - team with Nunez in attack.

His finishing continues to frustrate, of course. Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has even argued that if Nunez were more clinical, "he could be the best player in the world!" But while highlighting his biggest weakness, such a claim also attests his many strengths, as well as underlining why Klopp is so forgiving of the major flaw in Nunez's game.

Even after watching Nunez make history by hitting the woodwork four times in the same game against Chelsea in January, Klopp couldn't help but marvel at the way in which the versatile forward responded to such bitter disappointment by teeing up Luis Diaz for a tap-in.

"Think you are in his boots, how that feels," Klopp said. "Missing a penalty, you could see it at half-time, he was really upset with himself. Then, setting up in a really important moment the fourth goal, because 3-2 or 4-1 is a big difference, that makes him really the player he is for us. The rest will come, definitely."

Tellingly, it's a view shared by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who admitted on TNT Sports after the same game at Anfield that Nunez was "a nightmare for [defenders] to play against, whether he scores or not. He runs you into bad places, he's aggressive, he's a handful who will end up getting goals at this club." And they are starting to arrive, in fairness.

Ahead of Sunday's crunch clash with Manchester City at Anfield, Nunez has netted in each of his past three Premier League games, and eight times in his last nine outings in all competitions. The Kop's continued support of the 24-year-old - which previously had as much to do with his engaging personality as his industrious performances - is now being repaid in goals.

He'll never post Haaland numbers, of course, but in a way Robertson was right when he said the comparisons between the two are unfair, because they are playing two very different roles.

Haaland is football's new Terminator, an unstoppable machine with a singular purpose: scoring goals. It's the most difficult thing to do in football and yet the Norwegian makes it look easy. But playing up front for City is the handiest number in the game today. The chances just never stop coming. Goals are inevitable.

Indeed, it's worth noting that Haaland has missed 82 'big chances' since arriving at the Etihad. To put that in context, Nunez has squandered 56, Kylian Mbappe 55, and Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane just 35 apiece in that same period.

In addition, it's not as if Haaland's job involves multi-tasking. He is rarely involved in City's intricate build-up play. In fact, he barely touches the ball outside the box - because City only want him to put it in the back of the net. And that's fine, because that's all they need from their No.9.

However, Klopp had a point when he argued during the 2022-23 that even Nunez, with his erratic finishing, would have scored freely at City, too, given the endless supply of chances. "We have to improve our game to bring him more often in these situations," the German acknowledged.

At Liverpool, though, far more is required of a central striker than simply waiting for the ball to arrive in the area, as the Reds simply do not boast the same depth of resources or level of creative quality as Pep Guardiola's wonderfully well-drilled City side (who does?!).

Consequently, Klopp needs a No.9 that presses with intelligence and intensity, drags defenders wide, creates chances for team-mates, and takes them too. Nunez is now doing all of those things, as underlined by the fact that he is already in double figures for both goals (14) and assists (11) this season. What's more, only Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in as many goals since the turn of the year as Nunez (12 apiece). So, while he may still be an agent of chaos, a method to the "madness" is emerging.

Will Liverpool's beloved 'Joker' ever rival Haaland for the Golden Boot? Highly unlikely. But he could end up playing just as big a part as 'The Terminator' in this season's Premier League title race, and the mere fact that his influence on Liverpool is now genuinely comparable to that of Haaland at City shows just how far he's come - and how far he might yet go.