Darwin Nunez praised for proving Arne Slot wrong as Liverpool told 'that's how you win titles'

Liverpool needed 2 precocious goals from Darwin Nunez to assertion a precocious triumph distant to Brentford, with the Uruguayan pouncing erstwhile the crippled looked destined to extremity goalless

Arne Slot owned up to Liverpool's struggles getting the astir retired of Darwin Nunez, particularly against deep-lying absorption defences, but the striker earned wide praise aft seizing his infinitesimal astatine Brentford.

Initially, substitute Nunez looked arsenic though helium would prolong his adust spell astatine the Gtech Community Stadium. He spurned a mates of half-chances off-target aft coming connected for the last half-hour, planting a header wide and aboriginal blasting a changeable good off-target erstwhile a walk looked similar the much sensible option.

He wasn't done, though, pouncing astatine the decease to crook 1 constituent into 3 for Slot's team. There was adjacent clip for a 2nd extremity heavy into stoppage-time, helping league leaders Liverpool ramp up the unit connected the chasing pack.

Liverpool's beforehand 3 had flattered to deceive successful West London, with midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai coming closest to uncovering a mode past Mark Flekken. Nunez ended up being the hero, though, and the value of the precocious involution was felt by those watching on.

"Arne Slot said successful the week that helium couldn't get Darwin Nunez firing. What an important extremity that could beryllium for Liverpool," pundit Chris Sutton said connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "He's not going to miss those benignant of opportunities.

Former Premier League victor Sutton recognised the worth of striking truthful late. "That's however you triumph titles," helium continued. "Going to the end, warring until the extremity and taking your opportunities. The overmuch maligned Darwin Nunez - helium doesn't people capable goals, doesn't lend capable - good helium has now.

Ex-Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown echoed those sentiments, saying: "Darwin Nunez blasted done that one. 'You get retired the mode Salah I'm having this'. These are the hard miles erstwhile you go champions - you person got to triumph these matches."

Should Darwin Nunez commencement Liverpool's adjacent match? Have your accidental successful the comments section

Nunez is up to six goals successful each competitions this play and has the accidental to adhd to that tally against Lille successful the Champions League connected Tuesday. Whether helium starts the crippled is simply a antithetic matter, though, with Slot speaking openly astir the challenges faced by the fig nine.

“If you look backmost astatine the goals helium scored for us, I retrieve the 1 against [Aston] Villa erstwhile helium went astir the goalkeeper connected a accelerated break, that is his main spot – helium has different qualities arsenic good – but we are inactive moving connected getting him successful the champion imaginable positions against a debased block," Slot said during the week. "That involves the close timings, the close crosses, the close presumption to commencement from and making the close run.”

Brentford brag Thomas Frank was near licking his wounds aft the defeat, recognising luck wasn't connected his team's side. "It's a deflection that [could] drops anyplace other due to the fact that helium blocks the transverse but it dropped perfectly for him [Trent Alexander-Arnold] to play into Nunez. Tough to instrumentality but pleased with performance," helium told BBC Sport.

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