Darwin Nunez’s stoppage time goal gave Liverpool a dramatic 2-0 win over Brentford in a highly entertaining Premier League clash.
Liverpool were frustrated by a resilient Brentford for much of the match, and their profligacy almost proved costly. But substitute Nunez, to whom manager Arne Slot acknowledged before the game struggling to get the best out ofhe made a huge impact off the bench as his brace led the Reds to a crucial win.
Sloto’s team conceded the first goal in the last two meetings Premier League relegation and should have found themselves behind within five minutes as Mikkel Damsgaard inexplicably failed to convert from a few yards out with the goal open.
Ryan Gravenberch forced Marko Flekken into an impressive save Liverpool looked to punish Brentfordwastefulness, but the Dutchman’s long-range effort was tipped around the post by his international team-mate.
Both sides continued to threaten in the final period as they looked for an opening and Dominik Szoboszlai came close to giving Liverpool the lead. The Hungarian delivered a venomous shot from 25 yards that hit the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of the home team.
Brentford were thrown out again just four minutes later when a powerful counter-attack opened the home side up, but Cody Gakpo’s weak effort from six yards failed to test the sprawling Flekken as Liverpool squandered another promising chance before the break.
Liverpool continued to spice up the Brentford goal after the restart without overloading Flekken, but Luis Diaz forced the Brentford stopper into a save before referee Andy Madley rightly waved off 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 succession with just over 15 minutes remaining as Liverpool worried.
It looked like it wasn’t going to be a day for Liverpool 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, and with the clinical efforts of the attackers under fire, they brought down the spirited Bees.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Mark Flekken |
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 Jarmoljuk |
7.1/10 |
|
ST: Yoane Wiss |
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 substitutes: Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson (GK), Ben Mee, Kim Ji-soo, Rico Henry, Yunus Emre Konak, Edmond-Paris Maghoma, Fabio Carvalho.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Alisson |
7.6/10 |
|
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold |
8.5/10 |
|
CB: Ibrahim Konata |
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 |
|
in the morning: Dominik Szoboszlai |
7.3/10 |
|
LW: Cody Gakpo |
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) |
ON |
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Wataru Endo.
Player of the match – Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
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