Arne Slot (46) admitted he feared history was repeating itself as Liverpool struggled to break down Brentford on Saturday, before substitute Darwin Nunez (25) scored twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-0 victory and extend the Reds’ Premier League lead.
Despite 35 shots in 90 minutes of regular play, Liverpool could not find a way past Brentford’s resilient defense and low block.
Following back-to-back league draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, it appeared second-placed Arsenal could close the gap on the early pace-setters, Liverpool.
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But Nunez, who had been taunted by Brentford fans when he was introduced, scored twice in three minutes—the 36th and 37th shots of the game—for a dramatic win.
Slot confessed to reporters that he feared his team’s inability to convert chances would become costly, but he was relieved to be proven wrong.
“Yes, of course, I had doubts because, before we scored the two goals, it felt like I was watching the same game over and over,” Slot said. “We’ve missed a lot of chances in recent weeks, even against Tottenham (Hotspur in the League Cup). Against Forest, we missed plenty, so it would’ve been surprising if I thought we’d score in the final minutes. But the players proved me wrong.”
Despite the team’s recent struggles in front of goal, Slot didn’t believe Liverpool were in poor form. He pointed to statistics like expected goals, suggesting that the team’s overall performance hadn’t changed since the start of the season.
“What you see is that, at the moment, it’s just harder for us to convert chances into goals,” Slot explained.
The absence of Diogo Jota, who had scored the equalizer against Forest earlier in the week, didn’t help, but Slot backed Nunez to keep delivering.
“He’s having a great season,” Slot said. “He scores goals, works hard for the team, and provides assists, but he’s in competition with a lot of talented players, which is why he’s not starting every game.”
