Brentford 0-2 Liverpool: Darwin Nunez's late brace rescues Reds

Darwin Nunez’s late stoppage-time double secured a 2-0 victory for Liverpool at Brentford on Saturday, marking the Premier League leaders’ first league win of 2025.

Brentford started brightly and nearly took the lead in the fifth minute, but Mikkel Damsgaard missed a golden opportunity with an open goal. Liverpool responded with a chance of their own in the 15th minute, but Luis Diaz misjudged a header after being set up by Ibrahima Konate.

Ryan Gravenberch tested Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken with a shot from outside the box, and Virgil van Dijk’s header from the subsequent corner sailed wide. Dominik Szoboszlai also came close, his strike from distance grazing the bar, while Cody Gakpo wasted another good opportunity from a quick counterattack.

Brentford’s defensive resilience remained strong, but Liverpool nearly broke through when Andy Robertson’s cross found Nunez, although the striker’s header went wide. Alexis Mac Allister’s header from a Robertson corner went into the side netting, and Brentford almost took the lead on the counter, with goalkeeper Alisson making crucial saves from Bryan Mbuemo, Kevin Schade, and Yoane Wissa.

The Bees were on course for a hard-earned point until Nunez finally broke the deadlock in the 91st minute, tapping in a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Just two minutes later, Nunez sealed the win with an emphatic finish to make it 2-0.

With the victory, Liverpool maintained their position at the top of the Premier League with 50 points from 21 games, seven points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, who play later on Saturday. Brentford sit 11th with 28 points from 22 matches.

SportsLigue