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Liverpool dug deep and secured a last-ditch 2-0 win against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, January 18.
The result sees the Reds extend their lead at the top over second-placed Arsenal to seven points, having played the same number of games. The Bees, on the other hand, remain 11th with 28 points from 22 games.
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Liverpool made a dominant start to the contest as they looked to control the tempo of the game and spent most of the first period attacking. Brentford absorbed the initial pressure well, but soon began showing cracks in their defense. Mark Flekken put in a big performance for the Bees between the sticks to keep the Reds at bay in the early exchanges.
With 59% possession in the first half, Liverpool threatened to score a ton of goals. To further their cause, the Reds created chances and attempted 19 shots, with just five of those on target as they lacked accuracy. They even hit the woodwork once, while Brentford managed just two shots on target from their five first-half attempts. However, they barely had any momentum on their side.
Neither Liverpool nor Brentford could alter the scoreline in the first half as they were deadlocked at 0-0 at the interval.
Liverpool continued their dominance in the second half as they dominated possession yet again. They created nearly 3xG with their incredible volume of shots, but failed to honour any of those. With 18 second-half shots, it seemed like Brentford would get away with one as they prevented the Reds from making inroads. The Bees themselves managed just four on target from six attempts.
However, substitute Darwin Nunez had other plans for Arne Slot's men. He came on in the 65th minute and scored a late brace with goals in the first and third minutes of added time. The Uruguayan's goals confirmed a win for Liverpool to put some daylight between them and Arsenal in second place.
On that note, let's take a look at the Reds' player ratings.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson - 8.5/10
He made seven great saves in this match to keep Brentford at bay and also earned a well-deserved clean sheet for Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8.5/10
He had a great game as he provided one assist. Trent also won two duels, made three clearances and two interceptions as well. He played five key passes and five accurate crosses as well.
Ibrahima Konate - 7.5/10
Konate put in a solid performance in defence as he won six duels, making five clearances and one interception. He also played two key passes.
Virgil van Dijk - 7.5/10
Van Dijk was solid at the heart of Liverpool's defence. He won five duels, making five clearances and one tackle. He also played one key pass.
Konstantinos Tsimikas - 7/10
Tsimikas started the game well and picked up a yellow card in an otherwise decent performance for the Reds.
Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10
Gravenberch passed the ball with 91% accuracy, including two key passes. He also won three duels and made one block as well.
Alexis Mac Allister - 7.5/10
Mac Allister passed the ball with 93% accuracy, including three key passes. He also won six duels, making one clearance as well.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 7/10
Szoboszlai passed the ball with 91% accuracy, including one key pass. He also attempted seven shots, with just one on target.
Mohamed Salah - 8/10
Salah passed the ball with 68% accuracy including seven key passes. He also attempted one shot on target and won one duel.
Cody Gakpo - 7.5/10
Gakpo passed the ball with 82% accuracy, including four key passes. He also won three duels and made one clearance.
Luis Diaz - 7/10
Diaz started the game and attempted six shots, with just two of those on target. He also played one key pass and won three duels.
Substitutes
Andrew Robertson - 7/10
Robertson replaced Tsimikas and put in a good performance for his team.
Darwin Nunez - 8.5/10
Nunez came on in the second half and scored a crucial late brace to secure all three points for Liverpool.
Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott & Federico Chiesa - N/A
The trio played less than 10 minutes apiece and hence do not warrant a rating.
