FROM THE GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM – An injury-time brace from Darwin Nunez gave Liverpool an invaluable 2-0 away win at Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Bees had fought bravely for 90 minutes, ceding possession and territory to the visitors, who fired 37 shots – most of them from distance. Brentford had arguably had the better chances before Nunez converted two late shots from point-blank range.
The late turnaround ensured Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points and increased the pressure on second-placed Arsenal ahead of their clash with Aston Villa.
How the game developed
When Arne Slot faced Brentford in his first home game as Liverpool manager, he thought: “This is a more difficult league than the Eredivisie.”
Brentford has this effect on many teams and managers. They pride themselves on being awkward, deliberately playing the game at a different rhythm and frustrating their opponents in every third of the pitch. As Liverpool forced their way through their hosts’ middle block, they were met with a mass of red and white stripes sitting comfortably on the edge and in their own penalty area.
Dominik Szoboszlai, largely restricted to attacks from outside the D, still managed to hit the crossbar with a fizzing shot in the first half.
It took until the 39th minute for both sides to catch the other in the switch. Cody Gakpo bypassed Brentford’s best attempts to win the ball back with an excellent first move down the field, parrying a move that ended with the Dutchman firing a shot just wide of the post.
Liverpool continued to press and explore, recording a huge number of shots, dwarfed by the number of Brentford bodies that got in the way of each attempt. The stats certainly painted a picture of ridiculous dominance – and there’s no doubt the Reds were in control of the game – but Slot’s side didn’t miss out on big opportunities or force Mark Flekken into many heroics.
Trent Alexander-Arnold burst down the right wing just as the clock reached 90 minutes and landed a lucky rebound before passing the ball to Nunez, who sent the away team into raptures.
Liverpool’s lively players had barely stopped jumping when Nunez scored his second, firing a crisp shot past Flekken with a confidence that had been missing so often this season.
Check out Brentford vs Liverpool player ratings here.
Unlike Liverpool’s other substitutes, Nunez’s arrival was not greeted with a sarcastic bark of “Who?” Instead, the divisive striker was met with a powerful attack from three corners of the pitch that left him unflatteringly compared to old Liverpool maverick Andy Carroll. Just seconds after his arrival, Nunez shot wide with a header that his predecessor might have handled better.
However, when Nunez stormed into the away game and threw away the shirt in a wave of euphoria, the fans traveling with him reminded their Brentford colleagues exactly what had been chanted. Perhaps being compared to the Geordie striker is something that fires Nunez up, as the Uruguayan scored a late winner against Nottingham Forest after hearing the same taunts from the crowd.
Nunez’s heroics came after a painfully anonymous performance from Luis Diaz.
The Colombian was a leader on Saturday, but he wasn’t himself. Diaz flitted around the pitch like an indecisive hummingbird, clearly not yet shaking off the illness that had plagued him this week.
Virgil van Dijk has spent the vast majority of Liverpool’s recent games with a permanent look of despair on his face. Having kept just one clean sheet in his last seven top-flight games, the Dutch defender was once again a picture of calm.
Much of the focus will be on Liverpool’s shooting record, but the hosts were silenced for most of the game. The Reds were particularly impressive in transition, sprinting towards their goal faster and harder than Brentford’s attacking strikers. As Slot has pointed out numerous times this season, the secret to Liverpool’s defensive resolve is simple: work rate.
However, there was one Brentford striker who caused the Reds problems. Bryan Mbeumo didn’t find the net, but he confidently fended off the Bees’ biggest threat. The Cameroon international even had more shots (four) than Mohamed Salah (three) – a number he may be set to replace if the Egyptian does not renew his contract at Anfield.
When asked whether Mbeumo might move this month, Thomas Frank quickly replied: “No!” The Dane explained this week: “The answer is very simple – no chance! It would have to be such a high fee that I can’t imagine what the fee would be.”
This fee may not be as astronomical come summer.
Mbeumo fits the transfer model that worked so well for Michael Edwards during his first spell at the club; a talented player who has proven his worth in the Premier League for a club outside the elite. Diogo Jota (Wolves), Andy Robertson (Hull), Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane (Southampton) – could Mbeumo be next?