LONDON – Turn off the alarm, turn the dial back from ‘panic’ mode: Liverpool’s title race is back on track. After all, they have the best get-out-of-jail-free card in the Premier League: keep sending it Darwin Nunez.
The fourth referee was still holding up a sign showing there were four minutes of added time left in a tense game at Brentford, and it was perhaps fitting that Liverpool’s most chaotic footballer was the only one able to keep his head above water. A game that seemed destined to end in a goalless draw somehow ended up with Liverpool winning 2-0.
Arne Slot overlooked for spot in starting lineup with No.9 spot vacated by injury Diogo JotaNunez watched from the bench as his teammates displayed an incredible level of profligacy in front of goal. By the end of the game, Liverpool had taken 37 shots, the most by a team in a single game in the past nine years and the most by an away team since Opta began collecting statistics 21 years ago. The Uruguay international proved decisive.
Nunez will be the first to admit he has struggled this season, making just seven starts in the Premier League. The two goals were his first in the league since November 9 and brought his tally to just four this season. This has sparked speculation that he might even be allowed to leave this transfer window. Slaughter may now be thinking again.
But the final stretch of the fight was when Nunez came alive. Eight of his 24 Premier League goals have come after the 75th minute. While Nunez did not become Liverpool’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a “super sub” who can come on and turn one point into three has always proven vital to a title-winning team. Nunez seems perfect for the role. In fact, Nunez has been directly involved in more goals as a substitute than any other player since arriving in England in 2022-23 (11 goals – 7 goals, 4 assists).
“He scored,” Slaughter said of Nunez. “He works very hard for the team. He assists but he competes with a lot of good players. So that’s why he doesn’t play every game.
“But I’m very happy with him, not just because he scored two goals today, which of course helped. But I’m also very happy with the other performances he did for us.”
Liverpool may lack the ruthless edge that saw them win in the first half of the season since the start of the year. That was the case again in the first 45 minutes in west London, with Liverpool doing their best but failing to get the ball into the Brentford net, taking 19 shots in total and an expected goals ratio of 1.54.
In Jota’s absence, the top three cody steel co., Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah They invented new ways to almost score goals, each more ingenious than the last, posing a threat to the home team’s defence. Salah created five chances alone, one of which was a perfect pass that gave Gakpo a one-on-one chance, but the Dutch forward inexplicably missed the opportunity.
Liverpool entered the New Year looking even more panicked than they did in 2024 when they swept West Ham United 5-0. That win at the London Stadium extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points and put fellow challengers Arsenal firmly in the rearview mirror. In the 20 days between that game and the Brentford game, the only team Liverpool could beat in the FA Cup was Second Division relegation candidates Accrington Stanley.
Virgil van Dijk Slott, who dismissed the idea of a “crisis” after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, must be prepared to face similar issues as the final whistle approaches.
“We don’t change anything between now and the start of the season or the first half of the season,” Slaughter insisted after the game. “What you do see is, at the moment, it’s a little bit difficult for us to convert chances into goals.
“It’s not just up to us, but because teams put themselves in front of every ball every time we have a chance. A lot of other teams try to stop us from scoring. It’s always the case. They’re all down low.”
Whether it was a design error, Slott’s side often attacked, leaving just two Liverpool defenders to cover potential counterattacks. Brian Mbemo and john warning. Brentford tried to take advantage of the offer at every opportunity, with Mbemo repeatedly occupying the space vacated by Liverpool’s left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
Bees coach Thomas Frank continues to defy odds and find new gains to propel his team, which is in 11th place after this defeat. They also had their chances, with 11 shots on goal, and the Liverpool goalkeeper Alison Becker Forced into seven saves. The home side could have saved three points before Nunez’s final game.
Watching Mbemo is like watching Salah. The quick touches with the outside of their left foot are very clone-like as they create their preferred shooting angles in the corners of the box.
But it looked like a game that featured 48 shots – more than one every other minute – would end without a goal. But Nunez had other ideas.
90 minutes have passed by, please take a break. Trent Alexander-Arnold Seeing the ball coming across the goal from the right back, Nunez moved outside the goal Mark FleckenDesperate dive. Two minutes later, Nunez created some space in the penalty area and then shot into the net, making the score 2-0.
Nunez was mobbed in front of a frenzied away crowd, well aware that they might have just witnessed a pivotal moment in the title race.
More than two hours later, Arsenal held a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home against Aston Villa. It could have been a frustrating and damaging day for Liverpool, who extended their lead to six points with a game in hand.
