From the ridiculous to the sublime, Darwin Nunez is Liverpool’s folk hero for a reason

The creator in chief, it transpires, is the man who wreaks havoc. There is an improbable presence at the top of Liverpool’s leaderboard for assists this season. It is not Mohamed Salah, though no one has made more goals in the Premier League. Nor is it Trent Alexander-Arnold, even though he can complete passes others cannot even imagine. The Egyptian has a lovely left foot, the Englishman a wonderful right.

But has more assists than either, two in three minutes in the semi-final taking him into double. In a three-way battle, it is now Nunez 10, Salah nine, Alexander-Arnold nine. If there is a temptation to think that the duo tied in second have rather more control of what they are doing, the numbers have an eloquence.