Leaders Liverpool strike late as Nunez sinks Brentford

Liverpool manager Arne Slot hailed the impact of substitute Darwin Nunez after his stoppage time double earned a 2-0 win at Brentford to give the Reds a seven-point Premier League lead on Saturday.

The much-maligned Uruguayan had not scored in the league since November and only twice this season before firing the visitors to a significant victory in west London.

After a near flawless start to Slot’s reign, Liverpool have wobbled of late, drawing three of their previous six league games.

“During the season you’re hoping for these moments,” said Slot. “We could have scored a late winner against (Manchester) United, (Nottingham) Forest, Fulham. Today it worked. We managed to score in the last few seconds.”

Nunez has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League this month after largely failing to deliver on his £85 million ($104 million) price tag since joining from Benfica in 2022.

The 25-year-old has fallen behind Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota as Slot’s preferred centre-forward this season, but the Dutchman praised Nunez’s ability to make a difference off the bench.

“He’s always having a lot of impact when he comes in. He brings energy and power,” added Slot. “To have someone like Darwin is nice to have.”

Slot thought his side deserved more after being held by Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in their previous two league games and believes the league leaders finally got their reward for a purposeful performance.

“I don’t only look at results. We created a lot. But now it’s a win so I don’t have to say look at our performance,” said the former Feyenoord boss.

“I was very pleased with our performance. Brentford made it a fight. They have good players and a good game plan. It was a nice game to watch like every time Liverpool are on the pitch.”