Liverpool continued their march towards a second Premier League title in the club’s history with a 2-0 win over Brentford away from home on Saturday.
The Reds battled hard throughout the match, against a strong Bees side, but looked to be on course for a frustrating draw until the enigmatic Darwin Nunez had his say in stoppage time.
With no Diogo Jota available, Arne Slot called upon the Uruguay international to come up with the goods off the bench, and that is exactly what he did with two strikes to win the game.
It was a terrific display from the former Benfica man, who has had his fair share of struggles in the Premier League this season, and one that could help him to kick on in the second half of the season.
Darwin Nunez's heroics against Brentford
Prior to this clash with the Bees, Nunez had scored two goals in 15 appearances in the top-flight, starting seven of those outings, which shows that he has failed to provide quality in front of goal on a regular basis.
Provide quality is exactly what the 25-year-old star did this time around, however, as he scored both of Liverpool’s goals in stoppage time to secure a big win for his side.
He was in the right place at the right time to calmly slot the ball into the back of the net from six yards out for the first, before showcasing his composure and ball-striking ability for the second – taking a touch and rifling an effort into the roof of the net.
Nunez, who had more shots (four) than passes made (two) off the bench, was not the real hero of the match for Slot, though, as Trent Alexander-Arnold was the true star of the game for Liverpool.
Why Trent Alexander-Arnold was the real hero
Whilst the Uruguayan striker deserves plenty of plaudits for his match-winning contributions off the bench, the England international played the full 90 minutes and contributed to the win with his work on and off the ball.
The right-back provided quality in and out of possession for the Reds and was key to keeping a clean sheet against Thomas Frank’s side, as he made one tackle and two interceptions and was not dribbled past a single time by an opposition player.
Alexander-Arnold, who received a rating of 8/10 from The Express for his performance, put in a fantastic defensive display that was coupled with creative quality on the ball.
Minutes
90
Tackles + interceptions
3
Dribbled past
0x
Touches
84
Key passes
5
Big chances created
1
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old sensation created five chances for his teammates throughout the game, the last of which was finally converted by Nunez for the opening goal.
Alexander-Arnold made a smart run into the right channel inside the box and then pulled the ball across the box, brilliantly, for the striker to tap in from close range.
The English dynamo, therefore, was crucial to the clean sheet and vital to the goal that ultimately broke the deadlock and won the match with his cross for Nunez, which is why he was the real hero for Slot, as his all-round performance played a massive role in the victory.
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1 ByAngus Sinclair
