Brentford 0 – 2 Liverpool

Substitute Darwin Nunez scored a late double to guide Liverpool to victory at Brentford and extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points.

It looked like Liverpool’s wait for a league win in 2025 was going to stretch to three games until Nunez stepped up in stoppage time.

Nunez grabbed the opener in the 91st minute with a simple finish from close range after meeting a low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Uruguay forward scored again two minutes later, showing patience in a crowded area to round off a counter-attack as Brentford were caught short in defence.

Despite taking so long to break the deadlock, Liverpool had dominated possession and territory for large periods and were fully deserving of all three points.

Dominik Szoboszlai saw an effort crash off the top of the crossbar in the first half and Luis Diaz should have made better of an attempt with his head after emerging unmarked at the far post.

Brentford were happy to sit deep and soak up pressure but struggled to pose any serious threat on the counter, with striker Bryan Mbeumo left isolated.

Liverpool maintained complete control of the tempo in the latter stages as Brentford dropped ever deeper, but lacked the potency in front of goal which they oozed in the first half of the season until Nunez delivered the decisive blows.

Brentford 0 – 2 Liverpool

Victory gives the league leaders further breathing space over second-placed Arsenal, who face Aston Villa at 17:30 GMT, while Brentford stay 11th.

Brentford’s home bubble bursts

The Gtech Community Stadium has been the place to go for goals this season. A combined 52 have been scored in the 12 fixtures – 29 for Brentford and 23 by visiting teams.

But Brentford never looked like adding to that tally as they invited pressure from the first whistle and spent the majority of the afternoon trying to keep Liverpool at bay.

It felt inevitable that Liverpool would find a way through as they attempted 37 shots and eventually Brentford, who remain the only club yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, folded.

Thomas Frank’s side have picked up all but five of their 28 points at home this campaign but that bubble looks to have burst.

They have won just one of their past seven Premier League games and it is just one win in nine across all competitions.

Mbeumo lacked support throughout and was easily marshalled by Liverpool’s centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, while top scorer Yoane Wissa struggled to make his mark on the game.

Brentford’s campaign will not be defined on performances against the league leaders, but Frank will be hoping for an improvement in the weeks to come as their next five games come against teams currently below them in the table.

Nunez shows his worth

Liverpool looked unstoppable in the first half of the season but have shown signs of slowing in the past few weeks.

Draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in the league came either side of defeat at Tottenham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

There was no lack of conviction at Brentford as Liverpool tried everything to get their noses in front, though hitting the target with just eight of their 37 shots was disappointing.

Mohamed Salah is usually a reliable figure for the Reds but had an off day, hitting the target just once, with the likes of Szoboszlai and Diaz offering their best outlet until Nunez was introduced.

Nunez had scored just two league goals coming into the game but has clearly taken on board the wishes of manager Arne Slot, who stressed the need to “make a late-goal winner” more regularly in the second half of the season.

His first goal was taken instinctively, with more care required as he held off a defender and picked his spot for the second.

With Diogo Jota unavailable because of injury, Slot will need players like Nunez to chip in more regularly and help them over the finish line.