Liverpool’s new ‘high-speed’ partnership was simply devastating tonight

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez partnership was simply devastating against Ajax tonight. The Reds have something here.

Jurgen Klopp once again tried something new against Ajax as Liverpool ran riot in Amsterdam. This time, the boss tried a 4-4-2 diamond and debuted a new front-two.

And it was a front-two we’d been hoping to see. With Roberto Firmino playing as a no.10, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez formed a partnership up top.

It was something Klopp openly discussed, too. He’d said it could be a ‘high-speed’ pairing, should Liverpool try it, and he felt tonight was the night.

With good reason, too. This was a game in which Ajax had to win by two goals. It forced them onto the front foot, forcing an aggressive game from the hosts that would leave space in behind. So why not play two of the quickest and most lethal goalscorers around?

The results were devastating.

Salah and Nunez partnership

Yes, Liverpool were slow for 30 minutes. They were playing a new system against a team that wanted to be aggressive. The Reds rode their luck and got away with it.

But once things clicked, we saw why Salah and Nunez can be dangerous together. Jordan Henderson did wonderfully down the left and Nunez ran his way, taking a defender with him. Salah then dropped into the space the defender had left, received the pass from Henderson and finished.

That kind of movement is the dream here. Two forwards leading the line, capable of dragging defences around and making space for one another. Once you leave space, they’re too quick to catch.

The other advantage of having two strikers playing high and looking in behind? Firmino doesn’t need to do that and can instead roam around between the lines. That led to a chance right on half-time that Nunez should have scored but it came from Firmino benefitting from a completely stretched Ajax defence.

In the second half, we saw Harvey Elliott do the same for his goal. Salah and Nunez took the attention of the defenders and Elliott could ghost through unmarked.

Oh, and to top it all, Nunez is so good in the air that you can’t allow crosses into the box. His finish from a corner shows that beautifully

So a goal each, several chances, and a dominant win. This new partnership couldn’t have gone any better and this is just the start. If they truly click together, we’re not sure how anyone will stop them.