FROM GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM – A stoppage-time brace from Darwin Nunez earned Liverpool an invaluable 2-0 victory away to Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Bees had battled valiantly for 90 long minutes, ceding possession and territory to the visitors who racked up 37 shots – most of which were from range. Brentford had arguably enjoyed the better opportunities before Nunez converted two late efforts from point-blank range.
The late turnaround ensured that Liverpool extended their lead at the Premier League summit to seven points, piling the pressure on second-placed Arsenal before their clash with Aston Villa.
How the game unfolded
When Arne Slot came up against Brentford in his first home match as Liverpool manager, he thought to himself: “This is a more difficult league than the Eredivisie.”
Brentford have that effect on many teams and managers. They are proudly awkward, deliberately playing the game at a different rhythm and adept at frustrating their opponents in every third of the pitch. When Liverpool picked their way through their hosts’ mid-block, they were met with a mass of red and white stripes comfortably hunkered on the edge and inside their own box.
Largely restricted to efforts from beyond the D, Dominik Szoboszlai still managed to clatter the crossbar with a fizzing first-half effort.
It took until the 39th minute for either side to catch the other in transition. Cody Gakpo bypassed Brentford’s best attempts at winning back possession with a superb, first-time cross-field switch of play, setting away a move which ended with the Dutchman scuffing an effort narrowly past the post.
Liverpool continued to press and probe, racking up a swollen shot count which was dwarfed by the number of Brentford bodies in the way of each effort. The stats certainly painted a picture of laughable dominance – and there’s no doubt that the Reds had a grip of the game – but Slot’s side were hardly guilty of missing any glaring chances and didn’t force Mark Flekken in to many heroics.
Trent Alexander-Arnold bundled his way down the right wing just as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, earning a fortunate bounce of the ball before squaring for Nunez to send the away end into raptures.
Liverpool’s buoyant travellers had scarcely stopped bouncing by the time Nunez nabbed his second, lashing a crisp shot over Flekken with an air of confidence that has so often been lacking this season.
Check out Brentford vs Liverpool player ratings here.
Unlike Liverpool’s other substitutes, Nunez’s arrival was not greeted with the sarcastic bark of “Who?” The divisive forward was instead met with a forceful burst from three corners of the ground unflatteringly comparing him to Liverpool misfit of old, Andy Carroll. Within seconds of his arrival, Nunez promptly fired wide with a header his predecessor may very well have done better with.
However, when Nunez rushed to the away end, shirt discarded in a wave of euphoria, those travelling fans reminded their Brentford counterparts exactly what had been chanted. Perhaps there’s something about being compared to the Geordie forward which fires Nunez up, as the Uruguay struck a late winner against Nottingham Forest after hearing the same taunts from the crowd.
Nunez’s heroics were required after a painfully anonymous display from Luis Diaz.
The Colombian led the line on Saturday, but wasn’t himself. Flitting around the pitch like an indecisive hummingbird, Diaz clearly hadn’t shaken off the illness which has hampered him this week.
Virgil van Dijk has spent the vast majority of Liverpool’s recent matches wearing a permanent expression of exasperation. After overseeing just one clean sheet in their last seven top-flight matches, the Dutch defender was a picture of calm once again.
Much of the focus will be on Liverpool’s shot tally, but the hosts were muzzled for most of the game. The Reds were particularly impressive in transition, sprinting towards their goal faster and harder than the breaking Brentford forwards. As Slot has pointed out on numerous occasions this term, the secret to Liverpool’s defensive resolve is simple: work rate.
There was, however, one Brentford forward who troubled the Reds. Bryan Mbeumo didn’t find the net, but comfortably carried the Bees’ clearest threat. The Cameroon international even had more shots (four) than Mohamed Salah (three) – a figure he may end up replacing if the Egyptian does not extend his Anfield deal.
Thomas Frank has been quick to deliver his response to those questioning whether Mbeumo could possibly be on the move this month: “No!” The Dane expanded this week: “It’s very easy to answer – no chance! It would need to be that big of a fee that I can’t imagine the size of the fee.”
That fee may not be so astronomical come the 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 proved 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?
