Darwin Núñez Stars as Liverpool Extend Lead at the Top | OneFootball

Brentford 0 – 2 Liverpool – The PL Postmortem

The atmosphere at the Brentford Stadium was daunting and expectant in equal measures, as Arne Slot brought his Merseyside warriors to the capital to tighten his grip on this season’s Premier League crown.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Trent Alexander Arnold

RCB – Ibrahima Konaté

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Luis Díaz

LF – Cody Gakpo

Subs

Darwin Núñez –  Luis Díaz (65 mins)

Andy Robertson – Kostas Tsimikas (65 mins)

Curtis Jones – Dominik Szoboszlai (80 mins)

Harvey Elliott – Alexis Mac Allister (80 mins)

Federico Chiesa – Cody Gakpo (87 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Brentford 0 – 1 Liverpool

Darwin Núñez – (Trent Alexander Arnold) 90+1 mins

Brentford 0 – 2 Liverpool

Darwin Núñez – (Harvey Elliott) 90+3 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

Brentford 39% – 61% Liverpool

XG

Brentford 0.72 – 3.40 Liverpool

Total Shots

Brentford 11 – 37 Liverpool

Corner Kicks

Brentford 2 – 15 Liverpool

Off Sides

Brentford 6 – 0 Liverpool

Fouls

Brentford 6 – 14 Liverpool

Goalkeeper Saves

Brentford 6 – 7 Liverpool

The First Half

The beginning of the game was an exhilarating display of what was to come. Although Brentford had the first of several decent chances in the first half, it was Liverpool who established their intentions from the outset with fierce determination. The relentless energy of Hungarian skipper Dominik Szoboszlai was evident throughout a pulsating opening period.

Liverpool created an early opportunity, with an initial shot from Dominik deflected wide, followed by a breakaway from Cody Gakpo leading to a missed chance by Mohamed Salah. As the first half progressed, Luis Díaz had several opportunities, including a penalty shout that was waved away. Trent Alexander-Arnold stood out with his exceptional covering defensive play, while Liverpool continued to pile up chances and corners.

Brentford had their moments as well, with both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa testing goalkeeper Alisson Becker. The half ended with the score at 0-0, leaving the outcome still very much in contention.

The Second Half

At the start of the second half, Liverpool kept the same eleven players who had started the match. Dominating the pitch, they showcased superb defensive organization through both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. The urgency increased, yet the elusive first goal continued to evade them. Their numerous corner kicks lacked real threat, contrasting sharply with Arsenal’s potency from set pieces.

Substitutions were finally made, with Darwin Núñez and Andy Robertson brought on to inject energy and purpose. Núñez missed a good chance shortly after entering the game, and Alexis Mac Allister saw his shot driven into the side netting. Mbeumo and Wissa continued to test the form of Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper, while Salah nearly provided a dangerous low cross for Núñez, who then blazed an erratic shot over the bar.

After a strong long-range effort from Trent Alexander-Arnold and some brilliant defensive work by Virgil van Dijk, the combination of substitutes Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa allowed Trent to deliver a perfect cross into the path of Núñez. Without time to think, the former Benfica player drilled a low shot past the superb keeper Mark Flekken, finally netting the well-deserved first goal. Moments later, following a jubilant celebration, Chiesa found Harvey on the edge of the penalty area. Harvey squared a perfect through ball for Mohamed Salah, allowing Núñez to surge across and unleash an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.

The match concluded with a score of 2-0 in favour of Liverpool, a result that was fully deserved given their record of thirty-seven attempts on goal.

Final Thoughts

This match took on added significance after Arsenal could only achieve a 2-2 draw at home against Aston Villa. The weekend represented a two-point gain against the Gunners and marked a return to excellent form for the Anfield giants, who had upcoming home games against Lille in the Champions League, followed by a visit from Ipswich. Ultimately, this weekend was nearly perfect for the top-of-the-table Reds, as they closed out the fixtures with a six-point advantage over Mikel Arteta’s side, solidifying Arne Slot’s position as title favourites. Nottingham Forest also secured a win, levelling their points with Arsenal in the standings.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction;

Brentford 1 – 2 Liverpool