A brace from Darwin Nunez gave Liverpool a dramatic 2-0 win over Brentford in an entertaining Premier League game.
Liverpool were frustrated for most of the match by a resilient Brentford and their sloppiness almost proved costly. But substitute Nunez, whom manager Arne Slot accepted before the game struggling to get the best out ofmade a huge impact off the bench as his brace guided the Reds to a decisive victory.
Slot's side had conceded the opening goal in the last two Premier League exits and should have been behind within five minutes as Mikkel Damsgaard inexplicably failed to convert from a few yards out with an open goal.
Ryan Gravenberch forced Mark Flekken into an impressive save as Liverpool looked to punish Brentfordhis waste, but the Dutchman's effort from distance was turned away by his fellow international.
Both teams continued to threaten in the final third as they looked for an opener and Dominik Szoboszlai went close to Liverpool's advantage. The Hungarian unleashed a venomous shot from 25 yards that hit the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of the home side.
Brentford broke free again just four minutes later as a sweeping counter-attack opened the home side up, but Cody Gakpo's weak effort from six yards failed to test the sprawling Flekken as Liverpool wasted another promising chance before the break.
Liverpool continued to improve on Brentford's goal after the restart without tiring Flekke, but Luis Diaz forced the Brentford keeper into a save before referee Andy Madley rightly waved away penalty appeals following the Colombian's subsequent dive.
Brentford refused to sit deep and simply soak up the pressure, pushing numbers forward at every possible opportunity. Bryan Mbeumo and substitute Kevin Schade tested Alisson in quick fashion with just over 15 minutes remaining as Liverpool faltered.
It looked like it wasn't going to be Liverpool's day at the Gtech Community Stadium, but Nunez proved the difference in stoppage time. Goals in the 91st and 93rd minutes secured three vital points for the Reds, with the under-fire striker's clinical efforts bringing the lively Bees down.
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Mark Flecken |
6.7/10 |
|
RB: Mads Roerslev |
6.8/10 |
|
CB: Nathan Collins |
6.6/10 |
|
CB: Sepp van den Berg |
6.4/10 |
|
LB: Keane Lewis-Potter |
6.6/10 |
|
RM: Bryan Mbeumo |
7.2/10 |
|
CM: Vitaly Janelt |
7.5/10 |
|
CM: Christian Norgaard |
6.5/10 |
|
LM: Yegor Yarmolyuk |
7.1/10 |
|
ST: Yoane warned |
6.9/10 |
|
ST: Mikkel Damsgaard |
6.5/10 |
|
UNDER: Kevin Schade (66' for Janelt) |
6.7/10 |
|
UNDER: Mathias Jensen (80' for Damsgaard) |
6.0/10 |
Unused subjects: Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson (GK), Ben Mee, Kim Ji-soo, Rico Henry, Yunus Emre Konak, Edmond-Paris Maghoma, Fabio Carvalho.
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Alisson |
7.6/10 |
|
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold |
8.5/10 |
|
CB: Ibrahima Konate |
7.4/10 |
|
CB: Virgil van Dijk |
7.5/10 |
|
LB: Kostas Tsimikas |
7.2/10 |
|
DM: Ryan Gravenberch |
7.4/10 |
|
DM: Alexis McAllister |
7.6/10 |
|
RW: Mohamed Salah |
7.8/10 |
|
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai |
7.3/10 |
|
LW: Cody Steele |
7.7/10 |
|
ST: Luis Diaz |
7.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Darwin Nunez (66' for Diaz) |
8.6/10 |
|
UNDER: Kostas Tsimikas (66' for Robertson) |
6.8/10 |
|
UNDER: Harvey Elliott (80' for Szoboszlai) |
7.0/10 |
|
UNDER: Curtis Jones (80' for Mac Allister) |
6.7/10 |
|
UNDER: Federico Chiesa (87' for Gakpo) |
N/A |
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Wataru Endo.