Darwin Nunez proved Liverpool’s late hero as his stoppage-time double fired the Premier League leaders to a 2-0 victory away at Brentford.
Arne Slot’s side seemed destined to make it three league matches without a win in 2025, having seen Dominik Szoboszlai denied by the woodwork and Cody Gakpo miss a glorious chance in the first half.
Mohamed Salah then went close with just minutes remaining at the Gtech Community Stadium, but substitute Nunez made no mistake with his late brace in the dying stages.
The Uruguayan striker first converted from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s smart cutback pass in the 91st minute, before hammering home from Harvey Elliott’s offload just two minutes later.
The win moved Liverpool six points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa, while Brentford remain 11th after suffering late heartbreak.
Brentford almost made a rapid start just five minutes in. The unmarked Mikkel Damsgaard could not make the required contact, however, after Yoane Wissa’s slight deflection on Mads Roerslev’s dangerous delivery.
Szoboszlai rattled the crossbar when driving a 20-yard attempt towards the top-left corner, while Gakpo dragged a brilliant opportunity wide from Salah’s delightful right-sided offload, six minutes before the break.
Gakpo turned creator for Salah after the interval, though the Egyptian saw his placed attempt blocked by Keane Lewis-Potter before Nathan Collins headed clear on the line.
Salah went close when his 89th-minute curler from the edge of the D narrowly evaded Mark Flekken’s bottom-right corner, though Slot’s side would soon be saved by Nunez.
Alexander-Arnold’s driving run teed up the first of two late goals when his pull-back from the right found Nunez, who converted from close range. The Uruguayan doubled the dose soon after, when he combined with Elliott and thumped a finish past Flekken.
