Brentford 0, Liverpool 2 - Match Recap: Núñez Does It In Stoppage Time
Liverpool are back to winning ways in their victory against Brentford on Saturday.
Brentford 0 - 2 Liverpool
Liverpool: Núñez 90+1’, 90+2’
Pre-Match
Liverpool looking to regain momentum after a bit of a slump over the past week or two. They travel to Brentford for what would have been an easy three months a month or two ago.
It’s nice to see Ibrahima Konaté in the starting line-up again. Hopefully he continues to build back his fitness and his partnership with Virgil van Dijk to be the impenetrable wall that it had been earlier in the season.
First Half
The first half has been real end-to-end stuff, with both teams up for it. Brentford are finding their joy on the counterattack, as they sit back and let Liverpool control the ball.
Kostas Tsimikas earns an early yellow card by pulling back on the shirt of an onrushing Brentford player. We’ll see how that plays out over the rest of the game.
It is Brentford that get the first big chance. Damsgaard slides in a gorgeous cross temptingly across the face of goal, but luckily for the Reds, no one could quite get a foot on it to guide it past Alisson.
Gravenberch slaps a banger from distance that the Brentford goalkeeper needed to be at fully stretch to bat out of the danger.
Liverpool have had a few corners in the first 20 minutes, but so far haven’t made any of them count.
Dominik Szoboszlai smashes it from 25 yards out, and the shot goes ricocheting off the bar. Moments later, Cody Gakpo has his own chance. He gets on the end of Mohamed Salah’s cross, but hits it just wide of the mark.
The players go into the tunnel goalless. We’ll see what changes Arne Slot makes to try and break the deadlock in the second half.
Second Half
Liverpool start the second half with similar intensity. The desire for a goal is there, but so far it hasn’t resulted in anything. They force a few early corners, but Brentford are just about good enough to keep them out.
Luis Díaz gets a good opportunity, but the chance is denied. Díaz continues rushing forward to go after the deposited rebound, but Mark Flekken makes enough of a nuisance of himself to let it go harmless out of bounds.
Tsimikas gets taken off after 65 minutes for normal starter Andy Robertson. If you’re worried about the glaring lack of man buns that this would leave for Liverpool on pitch, Darwin Núñez replaces Dìaz to right that wrong.
Robertson and Núñez nearly have an instant impact, with the left-back crossing it to the striker, but Núñez heads it wide.
Brentford go close with another ball whizzing in front of the face of goal. This time, Alisson palms it away. Brentford get a good run of play that has Liverpool scrambling a bit to regroup.
Alexis Mac Allister hits the side netting on a corner, and this has officially become one of those super frustrating games where everything is always, but not quite.
Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones replace Mac Allister and Szoboszlai for the last 10 minutes or so as Liverpool try to find that elusive first goal before time runs out. Federico Chiesa comes on for Gakpo.
Just as I came close to ripping the hair out of my head, Núñez comes in clutch in added time. Trent Alexander-Arnold gets the ball him to poke home in order for the Reds to break the deadlock.
Any concerns about Liverpool potentially spoiling their hard won lead are quashed moments later when Núñez bags himself a brace, this time assisted by Elliott.
Final Thoughts
They took their time about it, but Liverpool eventually found two goals to keep them seven points atop the Premier League table. Hopefully this game breaks the bad slump they’d fallen into since the festive period ended.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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