Liverpool temporarily led the Premier League after coming from behind to defeat Wolves 3-1 in the early kick-off on Saturday.
For a moment, it appeared as if the Reds would cling to the top spot while former leader Manchester City struggled against West Ham.
City trailed at halftime owing to a goal from James Ward-Prowse, and while it drew level almost immediately after the restart thanks to Jérémy Doku, it wouldn’t complete the comeback until the 75th minute.
A significant part of the cause for this was the uncommon wastefulness of City striker Erling Haaland, who broke the Premier League goals record last season with 36 goals.
On Saturday, he became the first player in Premier League history to miss five huge chances in a single match since WhoScored began collecting Opta statistics in 2009.
When Josko Gvardiol picked him open at the back post, he appeared likely to score, but he seemed to lose his bearings and hooked his attempt wide. Later in the first half, Doku was put in a similar position by a ball across, but he couldn’t produce enough power on his strike, and Alphonse Areola was able to get over in time.
Then, in the second half, he assisted Rodri’s chip toward goal, only for Areola to palm it away, and the Frenchman easily caught his header from Bernardo Silva’s throw. Kyle Walker sprinted down the line and blasted the ball into the box, but the incoming Norwegian volleyed straight at the keeper instead of finding the corner.
And yet, Haaland proved once again that he is simply unstoppable by scoring with five minutes remaining in normal time, collecting Bernardo’s pass and lazering an unstoppable strike into the net with the air of a man whose confidence had not been shaken by an otherwise embarrassing afternoon.
Darwin Nunez, Haaland’s Liverpool counterpart as a fellow big-money number nine, has wasted many huge chances in six games since joining the club, but he’s only scored once (his Premier League debut against Fulham), while averaging 5.4 shots per game.
Darwin Nunez Liverpool games with two or more missed great chances
One probable conclusion from this is that Nunez allows his head to drop when he squanders golden opportunities, which is certainly corroborated by the eye test. However, he can learn from Haaland’s performance against West Ham.
The events at the London Stadium highlight the significance of keeping hopeful as a striker and refusing to accept that it’s not your day when you fluff your lines.
Instead, keep going, certain that the quality of your movement (which Nunez excels at) and the creativity of your teammates (he’s surrounded by excellent playmakers at Anfield) will provide an opportunity to make apologies.
Even through struggling, Haaland has taught his counterpart a vital lesson.