Another Liverpool victory kept their juggernaut rolling on, this time thanks to Darwin Núñez.
The Reds beat Brentford 2-0 in a Premier League match last Saturday, January 18. Liverpool now have 50 points from 21 matches and have a comfortable six-point lead over second-placed Arsenal with a match in hand.
For the Reds, Núñez scored a brace in the dying minutes of the match to secure the win on Saturday. He came in as a substitute to change the fate of the match, which seemed to be veering towards a goalless draw.
Darwin Núñez’s Ordinary Season So Far
The 25-year-old Uruguayan striker had scored only four goals in 26 matches prior to the match against Brentford. Quite understandably, he has lost his place in the starting XI to the likes of Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz.
However, he showed on Saturday that he can be dangerous inside the opposition penalty box.
His two opportunistic strikes against Brentford prove his obvious class as a striker.
Núñez has a powerful shot on him that has the ability to rattle any goalkeeper in the world. His shooting accuracy from outside the penalty box can be erratic at times, but he still poses a considerable threat to the opposition.
With Diogo Jota suffering from an injury, the league leaders will need the services of the Uruguayan as the centre-forward.
Both Díaz and Gakpo are more comfortable playing on the left flank and cutting inside. Hence, the Reds need an out-and-out striker upfront to make the opposition defence suffer.
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A Pivotal Victory Against Brentford for Liverpool
The Reds’ win against Brentford could prove to be a key one in the context of deciding the fate of the title race this season.
Brentford defended dourly, but could not still manage to stop the Reds from grinding out a win.
With Arsenal failing to win against Aston Villa, Liverpool managed to retain a six-point lead over the Gunners by the end of the day. As a result, Arne Slot should be a much-relieved man now.
His team, however, will still have to visit the Etihad, Stamford Bridge and Villa Park, none of which should prove to be easy.
However, with their competitors dropping points regularly, Liverpool should be quite confident of cruising towards the title.
Most of their players are in good form. Aside from Núñez, their other substitutes like Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott also played their parts in the team scoring their two goals against Brentford.
Essentially, the whole squad is in quite good shape at the moment.
However, it is Núñez’s return to form that should appease his Dutch manager the most. The Uruguayan has not quite been a success story at Anfield.
With 39 goals in 123 matches for Liverpool, the Uruguayan has not yet been the prolific striker the Reds had been looking for.
However, if he keeps chipping in with performances like the one against Brentford, the club management will feel that his signing was justified.
It remains to be seen whether Núñez can turn his form around in the Reds’ upcoming matches in the season.