Nunez will get the headlines but real hero is cool-hand Caoimhin...

FAIRLY soon, the whole footballing world will know how to pronounce it.

But to those few who have not yet been bothered with the simple task of finding out how it’s done, his first name looks unpronounceable.

To the many, Caoimhin Kelleher looks unbeatable.

The young outfield players have been hogging the credit for Liverpool surging through their fitness issues.

And Darwin Nunez was their headline hero with an ultradramatic winner deep into added time here.

But no one has been more valuable to Jurgen Klopp’s cause than his second-choice goalkeeper.

The notion of Kelleher being a second choice behind anyone next season is looking more and more like a preposterous idea.

Kelleher did not have a vast workload in a contest that sprung into controversial life in the closing stages.

But he had to produce what was, arguably, the most important intervention in the match. Relatively early in the despite play being stopped for first half, Anthony Elanga a head injury, when Forest had sprung the Liverpool offside the ball in a decent position. trap and bore down on goal in Forest only had themselves to a central position – and without blame for not clearing their a defender to worry about. lines when they had the chance

A VAR check might have in the 99th minute. gone against Elanga, but it was There is no understating the very close. importance of this dramatic

And that is irrelevant anyway Nunez goal, with Liverpool because Kelleher, Kelleher being snatching three as he so often does, second choice points when some saved brilliantly next season is way below their with his legs. preposterous best.

And that was It has become enough to secure a third one of the game’s oldest cliches, consecutive clean sheet, taking but winning when not his record to three goals managing to get out of second conceded in the six most recent gear is the hallmark of trophy matches in which he has winners. deputised for the injured And it is also becoming a Alisson. Liverpool speciality, which is

More importantly, it meant extremely useful when you have Nunez could head in the a treatment room as busy as stunning winner a couple of theirs. minutes – after Liverpool had Klopp will hope it continues, not given possession back but he also knows this sort of performance would be heavily punished by Manchester City, who arrive at Anfield next Sunday.

The Liverpool boss will hope to have one particular big gun back for that one.

The emergence of the kids is one of the feelgood stories of the season – if you are a Liverpool fan, of course.

But if you were being curmudgeonly in the extreme, their deeds could be put into some sort of context.

They hit the headlines for a great fightback against Luton Town, but Rob Edwards’ team are in a relegation battle for a reason.

In the stirring Carabao Cup triumph, Chelsea missed giltedged chances to win the final in normal time.

And in the FA Cup at Anfield, Russell Martin fielded a Southampton reserve team that should have been a couple ahead inside half an hour. But, as mentioned, that would be curmudgeonly in the extreme.

Klopp will still be grateful when his injury crisis eases considerably, and a relatively strong bench here was a sign of encouragement.

But even without a marquee player such as Mo Salah in their ranks, Liverpool were always going to dominate a Forest team set up to operate solely on a counter-attacking basis.

Liverpool’s dominance was not matched by their dynamism, the physical demands on a depleted squad showing in a distinctly leggy first-half performance.

Unsurprisingly, Klopp called on a couple of returning cavalry members just before the hour mark. One of them was Nunez and after Elanga had put another glorious chance wide, the Uruguayan rose above a rooted Forest defence to head in Alexis Mac Allister’s ball.

Cue local outrage – but this, painfully for the home side, is what potential champions do.