LONDON (Reuters) -Substitute Darwin Nunez's stoppage-time double gave Liverpool a 2-0 win at Brentford on Saturday, as the Premier League leaders left it late to record their first league win of 2025.
The Reds looked set to be denied with Brentford repelling wave after wave of attacks, before Nunez scored twice in three minutes to keep the pressure on second-placed Arsenal.
Liverpool remained top with 50 points from 21 games, seven ahead of Arsenal who host Aston Villa later on Saturday. Brentford are 11th with 28 points from 22 games.
"Every win is a big result, especially when the teams around us are very strong," Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told BBC Sport. "If nobody is ready for a bumpy ride then this season will definitely be one."
Brentford started sharply and should have taken the lead in the fifth minute, but Mikkel Damsgaard squandered a golden chance with the goal gaping.
Liverpool's Luis Diaz ought to have scored in the 15th minute when Ibrahima Konate found him in space in the box, but the Colombian winger got his attempted header all wrong.
Ryan Gravenberch then tested Brentford keeper Mark Flekken with an effort from outside the box which the goalkeeper tipped behind before van Dijk headed wide from the corner.
Dominik Szoboszlai skimmed the bar with a shot from outside the box as the visitors cranked up the pressure and Cody Gakpo wasted a good chance from a quick counter.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Arne Slot's substitutions had an immediate impact in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday and the Dutch manager nearly had the magic touch again, when Andy Robertson's cross found Nunez but the striker headed wide.
Alexis Mac Allister headed a Robertson corner into the side netting before Brentford nearly nicked a goal on the break, with Alisson making saves from Mbuemo, Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa to keep the game level.
Brentford held firm and seemed on course for a deserved point until Nunez – whose introduction had drawn derision from the home fans – took charge of the contest in added time.
Nunez tapped in Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross from close range in the 91st minute, before he added a second with an emphatic finish two minutes later as Liverpool's 36th and 37th shots of the game finally found the net.
Slot told reporters that he had doubts about whether Liverpool would find a late winner, having seen his side miss several chances against Forest and in recent games against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
"The players proved me wrong again," he added.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank said the result was tough to take, but that he was proud of his players.
"I thought we played a really good game against the best team in the world right now," Frank told the BBC.
"We did a lot of things right. We defended very well. We gave the opportunities away but not too big. We probably lacked the final cutting edge."
(Reporting by Sam Tobin, editing by Ed Osmond)
