Darwin Nunez delivered a significant moment in the title race with two late goals at Brentford, seeing Arne Slot have his wish come to fruition.
Brentford 0-2 Liverpool
Premier League (21) | Gtech Community Stadium
January 18, 2025
Goals: Nunez 90+1′, 90+3′
1. Slot gets his wish
Slot is seemingly finding managing Liverpool so straightforward that he’s taken to predicting the future in his spare time.
Just check out this quote from the Dutchman’s pre-match press conference ahead of this game in which he pointed out one aspect of the game he would like his side to improve on.
He said: “One of the things I would like us to do better in the second half of the season than the first half, although it wasn’t necessary that many times, is to make a late goal winner.”
Well how about a 91st-minute goal to open the scoring backed up by a 93rd-minute strike to wrap things up against an obstinate Brentford side? That’ll do.
2. Brilliant defence earns win
Brentford 0-2 Liverpool – Player Ratings
Of course, you only get the chance to win a game at the death like this if you keep a clean sheet, and Liverpool fully deserved theirs here.
Coming into this game, Brentford were the fifth-highest scorers in the Premier League, having embraced a more attacking outlook this season.
But the Reds largely limited them across the 90 minutes, giving up just six shots on target for a total of 0.72xG, as per FotMob.
That isn’t easy to do against a team who can often be deadly on the counter, and so the Reds’ defenders deserve huge credit for their part in this win.
This was the third clean sheet in 10 games across all competitions and a much-needed one.
3. Nunez gets his moment
Clearly, though, the star of the show at the Gtech Stadium was the much-maligned Darwin Nunez.
The fact is, no matter what the Uruguayan does between now and May, the expectation remains that he will leave Liverpool this summer.
Meanwhile, his starts are certain to be limited by the manager’s preference for either Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota in the No. 9 role.
But even if all this is true, Nunez’s job is to contribute as much as possible in the moments he does get on the pitch, ensuring he leaves Anfield with as many winner’s medals as possible.
And he could not have done any better than to pop up with two crucial goals in a game that could go a long way to Liverpool lifting the Premier League title.
With Slot’s side concluding the match with 37 shots on Brentford‘s goal, Nunez’s two clinical finishes ensured Liverpool were not left to ponder what could have been, again.
4. Trent silences the doubters
You won’t have to hear Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s detractors blathering on about his defensive weaknesses this week given they are likely to go into hiding after his performance here.
As he has done so many times for Liverpool down the years (and this is too often forgotten), the defender was in good shape here.
He played a key role in helping keep Brentford quiet as detailed above, but it was work on the cover to cut off counters that really stood out, along with a few crucial headers from crosses.
That he allied that to setting up the winner, creating five chances (second-most of any player), and playing seven passes into the final third (no player had more) topped things off.
5. Massive moment in title race
For all that it would have been ridiculous to call three draws a crisis, had Liverpool dropped points here and seen Arsenal close the gap against Aston Villa in the later kick-off, it would have felt like one.
But the reality is the Gunners headed out for that game knowing they were seven points shy of top spot and up against a side who, as well as boasting the best underlying numbers in the division, also has the mentality to score last-gasp winners.
No wonder, then, that the BBC reported groans from the Emirates Stadium concourses when Nunez’s goal went in.
Their fans know as well as anyone that this was a massive moment; perhaps even a decisive one in the title race.
Brentford 0-2 Liverpool
