Darwin Nunez had already set the Liverpool traveling supporters into a frenzy when the full-time whistle had blown at Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, but they weren’t the only ones impressed with his stoppage-time brace.
Arne Slot, as you might imagine, was also delighted with the Uruguayan after two late goals downed Brentford on the road Saturday.
“He’s having a good season, he scores goals and he works very hard for the team,” Slot said of Nunez after the match. “He assists, but he’s in competition with a lot of good players. So that’s why he’s not on the pitch every single game.”
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The Liverpool boss admitted he was fearful the Reds would have walked out of London without what he felt they deserved, having completed the full 90 minutes of regulation without profiting.
His side ripped off an incredible 37 shots throughout the match, but couldn’t find the winning moment until the 91st minute when Nunez first struck.
“Did I have any doubt that the goal was coming? Yes, of course,” Slot told reporters after the game. “I had doubts because before we scored the two goals it felt that I was looking at the same game again and again. So many times in recent weeks we have missed a lot of chances. Against [Manchester] United, against Forest, and against Tottenham in the cup.
“It would have been a bit surprising if I felt, after all these chances missed today, that we will probably score twice in the last five minutes. But the players proved me wrong again.”
Their 37 shots were the most for Liverpool in a Premier League game on record, Opta stats confirmed, going back to the 2003/04 season when they first officially collected shot data.
Nunez, meanwhile, became the first player in Premier League history to score three career match-winning goals in the 90th minute or later away from home. He added today’s moment of brilliance to late winners against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle last season.
Additionally, no Premier League player has more goal involvements as a substitute than Nunez since the start of the 2022/23 season, sporting seven goals and four assists.
