Coming on as a substitute, Darwin Nunez scored a double in the 2 minutes of extra time in the second half, helping Liverpool beat host Brentford 2-0 in round 22 of the Premier League.
Liverpool had 35 shots on goal in the first half of the match on the evening of January 18 without scoring. However, their last two shots found the back of the net thanks to Nunez. Thanks to that, Arne Slot's team found the joy of victory again after two draws in the Premier League, increasing the gap with second-placed Arsenal to 7 points, with both teams having played 21 matches.
Nunez came on in the 65th minute to replace Luis Diaz, who was out of form. The Uruguayan striker has only scored one goal in his last 11 games.
However, it was Nunez who became Liverpool's hero in the first minute of stoppage time. From Trent Alexander-Arnold's low cross on the right side of the penalty area, Nunez cut in and shot low into the far corner to open the scoring.
Just 2 minutes later, it was still Nunez who received the ball from Harvey Elliott's cross on the right, before shooting close range into the Brentford net, sealing a 2-0 victory.
At the end of the match, Nunez attracted attention, but not for his goal, but for his kick to the home defender's ankle. Coach Slot was shocked and gritted his teeth at the incident, but referee Andy Madley did not give the Liverpool hero a second yellow card. If he had, there would have been too little time left for Brentford to turn the situation around.
However, Brentford had reason to be regretful as they held out until the 90th minute.
The hosts also created the best chance of the first half, when striker Bryan Mbeumo crossed for Mikkel Damsgaard to tap in from just five metres out without being marked, but somehow the ball missed. The hosts' plan to attack early on fell apart, forcing them to retreat and defend for the remainder of the half. As a result, the home side's player who touched the ball the most in the first half was goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
That statistic shows the visitors' dominance, but Liverpool's chances only became clearer in the second half. Mohamed Salah alone created 7 chances for his teammates, but Dominik Szoboszlai, Diaz and Cody Gakpo all wasted them.
In the next match, Slot's team will return to Anfield to host Lille in the penultimate round of the Champions League on the evening of January 21, then meet Ipswich Town in round 23 of the Premier League.
TB (summary)