'Just a sh*t Andy Carroll'?! Liverpool's widely ridiculed No.9 Darwin Nunez silencing the haters with decisive displays

Nunez isn't exactly an expert in Liverpool's history. During one light-hearted quiz, he incorrectly guessed that the Reds had only won two European Cups. So, it seems unlikely that he has never even heard of Carroll, one of the most infamous - but also unfortunate - flops in the club's history.

Then there's the fact that Nunez has shown impressive resolve in dealing with constant criticism, which started before he had even played a competitive fixture for Liverpool.

His frustration with his finishing has been obvious on occasion - even when he's been playing well - but he just keeps coming. And now he's reaping the rewards.

Despite the Carroll chants, Nunez held his nerve to open and close the scoring at Bournemouth with two fantastic finishes that exhibited the kind of composure that manager Jurgen Klopp and his coaching teams have tried to instil into his game. It's not been easy to get 'Captain Chaos' to calm down.

Jamie Carragher says that Darwin is unlikely to evolve; that he will always be a frustrating forward, a maddening mix of pace, power and profligacy. And the former Liverpool defender may well be right.

"This is Darwin Nunez, it's who he is," Carragher said on Sky Sports on Sunday. "I don't think he'll change too much, he'll have games like today where he scores twice and then he might miss a sitter against Fulham in midweek."

You certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Nunez is still squandering big chances (only Erling Haaland has wasted more across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues this season) but the difference now is the overall efficacy. He has, as Carragher pointed out, become "a right handful" - which was best demonstrated by the way in which he out-muscled Bournemouth centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi in the build-up to Liverpool's second goal at the Vitality.

"He has a sheer physical power that makes defenders not want to play against him every week," the ex-England international said. "A good attacker isn't just about scoring goals - there's a lot more about it than that and he's got some of those other skills in abundance."

Indeed, Nunez has been used to excellent effect on the left flank this season because of his stunning speed, and has proven himself a particularly productive foil for Mohamed Salah.

The fact that he is the only Premier League player so far this season to have reached double figures in all competitions for both goals and assists (10 apiece) speaks volumes for his all-round attacking threat. It also perfectly illustrates his improvement. Nunez was only directly involved in 19 goals during his debut season in England.

As Klopp told reporters recently, "The first year was a year to adapt and he scored here and there, but now he contributes in all games. The boys don't start because they score or not score. My belief and trust in them, as long as they behave properly, is endless. They deserve it because of the effort they put in."

And Nunez has also improved dramatically in that regard.

The willingness to run was always there. As former Liverpool midfielder James Milner noted, Nunez always worked "his nuts off" for the team. The problem was that his pressing wasn't "coordinated", as Klopp put it.

Now, though, the German couldn't be happier with the centre-forward from a defensive perspective because he's doing exactly what is asked of him, meaning a player who spent a significant chunk of the tail end of last season on the bench is now starting regularly and looking more than capable of playing a pivotal role in a Premier League title tilt.

"This season has been great for him," team-mate and fellow forward Diogo Jota enthused last week. "Maybe he hasn't scored as often as he would have probably wanted, but we trust him. He has been decisive for the team, even in the games where he doesn't score. He has assists and that counts as well because we are a team and all we want is to win."

And while Liverpool have only lost three games in all competitions this season, it's worth noting that Darwin didn't feature at all in the lone league loss at Tottenham, and only came off the bench in the European defeats by Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Put quite simply, Liverpool look a more dangerous side when Nunez is on the field. He proved that in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash with Fulham at Anfield, playing a pivotal role in the Reds turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win by registering two assists as a second-half substitute.

Could he miss another sitter in the return fixture at Craven Cottage? Absolutely. But it now feels just as likely that Nunez will show why Liverpool's manager, players and supporters are so enamoured with their erratic but increasingly effective No.9.

The trolling and mockery is unlikely to end anytime soon, of course. So many football fans have long since made their minds up on Nunez. But "just a sh*t Andy Carroll"? It's a laughable comparison - and don't be surprised if Nunez silences even more haters on Wednesday night with another decisive display.