Brentford 0-2 Liverpool Player Ratings as a late Darwin Nunez brace sees the Reds clear atop the Premier League

With the Premier League title race heating up, Liverpool will be looking to get back to their consistency from earlier on in the season and look to increase the gap on Arsenal. On the other hand, Brentford will be looking to play spoilsport on their home turf, as they look to break into the Top 10 of the league. 

By and large, the game unfolded as many may have expected, with Liverpool piling on the pressure and Brentford soaking it up before trying to find something on the counter. Whilst they were not too successful in the latter, Brentford did manage to keep the visitors out despite waves of pressure from the league leaders. However, as stoppage time rolled around, it was substitute Darwin Nunez who bagged a quickfire double in extra time to settle the tie.

All in all, Brentford will feel hard done by, having defended well and then conceding when they were in the ascendancy. As for Liverpool, they left it late but will be very pleased that they managed to walk away with all three points. 

Brentford Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Goalkeeper

Mark Flekken: 8/10- Had one of his best performances this season, managing to deny Liverpool with some spectacular saves. Good with hands and good with his feet, Flekken made some strong claims as well and stood tall for his side tonight. 

Defenders

Mads Roerslev: 6/10- An average performance from the right back who kept things clean for the most part, but got a little hassled as the game went on. Was outdone once in the second half which also resulted in a booking. 

Nathan Collins: 7/10- Solid for the most part during the majority of the game. Won quite a few headers and managed to keep the Liverpool attackers at bay for quite some time. 

Sepp van den Berg: 7/10- Had a very good performance for the most part repelling waves of Liverpool attacks. Did well to hold his nerve during hairy moments. Was at fault for losing the ball for the second goal though. 

Keane Lewis-Potter: 6.5/10- A strong performance overall, especially seeing that he was up against Salah. Held his ground well, but could and should have offered much more offensively. 

Midfielders

Vitaly Janelt: 6/10- Struggled to stamp his authority on the game and in midfield, at times left chasing shadows. Did get stuck in on a few instances and really made himself an obstruction whenever he could. 

Christian Nørgaard: 6.5/10- Had an all-action performance in midfield, lunging in for tackles and also turning over possession for his side, and trying to send the attackers clear on goal, whenever he could. 

Mikkel Damsgaard: 6/10- Couldn’t seem to find his feet at times, tripping over on a few occasions. Was not at his creative best on the night and was nipped at the heels whenever he tried to make a run through the midfield.

Attackers

Yehor Yarmoliuk: 6/10- Needed to have a little more work ethic and industry with his work, particularly when his team was under heavy pressure. Was good on the ball, but did not have nearly enough impact as he should have had. 

Bryan Mbeumo: 7/10- One of the bright sparks for his side on the night. Created many chances and was on the receiving end of a few himself. Could well have put his side clear before stoppage time, but arrived fractionally late for a cross.

Yoane Wissa: 7/10- Was absent for large parts of the first half but grew into the game well in the second half. Had a few good moments in front of the goal, creating chances for his side and getting a few shots of himself as well.

Substitutes

Kevin Schade: N/A

Mathias Jensen: N/A

Manager

Thomas Frank: 7/10- Did well to set up a defensive system that kept out Liverpool for large parts of the game. Could have made more changes to account for fatigue, especially seeing how hard his players had to work to maintain parity in the game for as long as they did. 

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs Brentford

Goalkeeper

Alisson: 8/10- Was called into action a fair few times and had to make some great saves in the second half. Kept things clean, even when things got intense and by the end was one of the best Liverpool players on the night. 

Defenders

Kostas Tsimikas: 7/10- Was good going forward and trying to pressure the opposition but at times struggled when the ball was in his half. Made a few good tackles but also picked up a booking for an unnecessarily clumsy one. 

Virgil van Dijk: 7.5/10- Solid and reliable throughout, made some vital blocks, and saved his team from embarrassment on more than a few occasions. 

Ibrahima Konate: 7.5/10- Strong and decisive with his tackling and pressure on the opposition attack. Kept things in check and mopped up trouble whenever needed. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 8/10- Superb at times with the variety of crosses that he put in the box. Showed some creativity and variety with his deliveries and was particularly dangerous with some of his long-range efforts. 

Midfielders

Ryan Gravenberch: 7/10- Another standard performance for the holding midfielder who at times ventured forward and managed to test the keeper well. Went about his business well and kept things running at all times. 

Alexis Mac-Allister: 7.5/10- A good all-action performance from the midfielder who was given the license to venture much further and did so to some effect. Could easily have bagged a goal today if not for a superb goalkeeping performance. 

Dominik Szoboszlai: 7/10- Had a few good attempts at goal and looked to facilitate the attack whenever he could. Pressured well and seemed to last longer than he usually does, despite playing at a high tempo throughout. 

Attackers

Mohamed Salah: 8/10- Was at his creative best on the night, putting a teammate through on goal on numerous occasions. Seemingly had some difficulty getting shots off himself, but adapted well to supplement the attack instead. 

Cody Gakpo: 7/10- Played well for the most part, but there was a feeling that Gakpo was lacking the usual killer instinct he has. Had a few very good chances to get a goal but was either denied or not clinical enough. 

Luis Díaz: 7/10- Missed a big opportunity but did well in attack and was a constant threat that caused a lot of problems for the opposition defense. Tried extremely hard but was denied by some great play.

Substitutes

Andy Robertson: N/A

Darwin Nunez: Missed the target with a header earlier, but delivered when it mattered most with two brilliant finishes in the dying moments. Was his usual crazy self. picking up a goal almost immediately after coming on, getting booked, almost picking up a second yellow for a foul, before going on to score his second of the night.

Curtis Jones: N/A

Harvey Elliot: N/A

Federico Chiesa: N/A

Manager

Arne Slot: 7.5/10- Will feel very good to see his substitutes change the game in the way they did. Found a lot of success during the game in moments and will be keen to build from it in the coming games.

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