Darwin Nunez has joined Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah as a new partner in crime, and the two attackers tore apart Brentford’s defense on Sunday. With goals from Salah twice and Diogo Jota, the Reds defeated the Bees 3-0 to record their eighth Premier League win of the year.
It took until the 39th minute for Liverpool to take the lead, as Salah grabbed Nunez’s feed and into the bottom corner. And just after the hour, the Egypt international found himself with plenty of room in the penalty area as he headed home Kostas Tsimikas’ cross.
When Jota curled the ball from the edge of the box into the corner of the net, Tsimikas provided the assist for the third goal of the match. Additionally, Express Sport examines four important lessons learned from the game.
Salah and Nunez’s collaboration
Salah was a standout player in a front three with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane for many years. And Nunez seems to be his ideal attacking partner currently. Throughout the Bees’ visit, the Reds tandem consistently connected and showed a level of understanding that seemed to have been honed on the practice field. If Liverpool maintains this level of performance in the upcoming months, they might give some serious blowouts to the less formidable teams in the Premier League.
Nunez unfortunate
Nunez gave a fantastic effort, thus it was disappointing that he did not leave the game with a goal. The Uruguayan international had a goal disallowed halfway through the first half after he had strayed offside by the narrowest of margins. Shortly after, the center-forward’s spectacular overhead kick was called back for an additional offside violation.
Nunez has missed a good number of opportunities this season, but if he can consistently repeat his performance from Sunday, he has the potential to score another 15 goals in the top division before the season is out.
Short on numbers, Jurgen Klopp
Due to a multitude of injury concerns, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was forced to make last-minute changes to his starting lineup against the Bees, starting Cody Gakpo in midfield. Due to the match’s ban for Alexis Mac Allister and the injuries that sidelined players like Ryan Gravenberch, Thiago, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, and Stefan Bajcetic sustained, the German coach was forced to assemble a bench that included 16-year-old Trey Nyoni. Late on, James McConnell made his Premier League debut as well. With the fixtures coming up quickly after the international break, Klopp will be anxious to have more players available.
Thursday night in the Europa League was a nightmare for Tsimikas, who was substituted out during the half as Toulouse upset Liverpool 3-2. The Greece international’s form has declined this season, and despite fellow left-back Robertson’s extended absence against Luton on Sunday, he didn’t even start.
However, Tsimikas’ two assists and his part in his team’s clean sheet against the Bees showcased his skills and demonstrated that he can be a dependable substitute for the Scotland international.