Darwin Nunez silences Michail Antonio to become Liverpool's star man against West Ham

Uruguay's Darwin Nunez, who scored a wonder goal with half an hour remaining to level the scores for Liverpool, propelled Jurgen Klopp's side to a 3-1 win over West Ham that kept them two points clear of leaders Manchester City. The Uruguayan player seems to be taking the pulse of the Premier League. Last season, he was not an undisputed starter. He started 26 of the 42 games he played in. He scored 15 goals in all competitions, far from the 34 he scored in his last year at Benfica.

He capped his first-half performance with a mammoth assist to Curtis Jones, who scored from a pinpoint offside that didn't escape the VAR.And, with the exception of Salah and Szoboszlai, there was little else for Liverpool to do.West Ham's good approach killed off any attempt by Liverpool to have a quiet afternoon at Anfield. David Moyes' men deserved to go into the dressing room ahead. They piled on the clear-cut chances, with Tomas Soucek's close-range header saved by Alisson and another from Antonio incomprehensibly wide of the Brazilian's goal.

Bowen's equaliser, in the 42nd minute, stoked the battle in the second half and it was Liverpool who won the war. Darwin Núñez, who had already been providential with a key touch on Salah's penalty, was at the heart of the action again.First, after missing a gilt-edged chance against Alphonse Areola; and second, after scoring a beautifully-taken goal to turn the tie on its head.

<strong>Darwin Nunez brightness </strong>

The Uruguayan, with half an hour to go, made the most of Alexis Mac Allister's cross from the centre of the pitch.The Argentinian slipped a pass behind the West Ham defence and Darwin Nunez, without dropping the ball, struck a shot that Areola could not keep out.It was almost the end as West Ham tried unsuccessfully to trouble Alisson's goal.Liverpool held on well, sealed the win with a Diogo Jota strike from a corner and with just three flashes of brilliance took all the points they needed to keep pace with Manchester City.