Darwin Nunez “more than a s**t Andy Carroll” as Liverpool ‘throw down the gauntlet’

Talk about leaving it to the last minute! Liverpool left us sweating in their 2-0 win at Brentford, but there was one common theme across the watching media.

If this is how it is going to be until May, our nervous systems are in for quite the test.

Liverpool were not without efforts on Brentford‘s goal (they finished with 37 shots), but they left it very, very late to make sure of the three points.

Darwin Nunez was the hero and, understandably, he was the centre of attention as the media reacted to the Reds’ victory.

Will opposition supporters ever learn…

Before Nunez had even got in position after being introduced, ‘You’re just a sh*t Andy Carroll’ sounded out around the Gtech – and they would pay for it.

The Mirror‘s Simon Mullock was one of many to note that the taunt came straight back at Brentford:

“Darwin Nunez showed the Brentford fans who taunted him that he’s much, much more than a “s**t Andy Carroll.”

David Hytner of the Guardian echoed the sentiment and even noted how the Bees had clearly not learnt from their last attempt at taunting Liverpool’s No. 9:

“The Brentford fans ought to have known better. After all, Darwin Nunez had scored a fabulous goal against their team in the corresponding fixture here last season. Still, when Nunez entered as a 65th minute substitute, they were ready with their taunt, one that compared him unfavourably to his one-time Liverpool predecessor, Andy Carroll.

“Nunez had travelled to London having scored only four times all season. The scrutiny burned. It was no kind of return for an £85m record signing. Arne Slot had insisted he would come good, that it was simply a matter of getting him into the right spaces and situations against deep-set opponents. How it would work out at the very end for Nunez and Liverpool.”

Looking at the bigger picture, the Echo‘s Ian Doyle rightly pointed out that “there will be hopes that this can be a turning point” for Nunez:

“Liverpool, though, will hope this can be a turning point, with Slot admitting he hasn’t yet been able to bring the best out of the player. Amid all the talk of interest from Saudi Arabia this transfer window, Nunez clearly still has a role to play at Anfield this season.

“And while he may remain infuriatingly enigmatic, one thing is certain: opposing fans are never, ever going to learn about provoking the Reds forward.”

While the spotlight is shining brightly on Nunez, the Telegraph‘s Sam Wallace was not going to allow Harvey Elliott‘s impact to be lost in the chaos:

“For Nunez it was the first Premier League goal since November 9 and these two doubled his total for the whole season. But not just Nunez off the bench made the difference. It was Elliott’s nudge down the right channel that made the opening for Trent Alexander-Arnold to cross for Nunez for the first.

“It was Elliott’s pass in the Brentford area a minute later, as the home team’s shape finally disintegrated, that made the second for Nunez. For most of the afternoon this was about Diogo Jota’s absence and then suddenly it was filled by Nunez.”

Liverpool make a statement with their “sheer persistence”

The occasion was set to be another instance of it not being Liverpool’s day, but it instead turned into a “seismic moment” in the words of the Mail‘s Lewis Steele:

“Just when one thought that the league leaders were going to fall to a third straight draw – in what would have been far from a disaster but certainly a blow – up popped substitute Nunez with what could be a defining goal in this title race.

“All of a sudden, what would have been a dent in their title hopes turned into a seismic moment and memorable day.”

Mullock, meanwhile, senses the victory has made the title race “feel like a procession” again after the Reds recovered from their recent blips:

“Since overpowering West Ham at Christmas, Liverpool had drawn successive games and lost the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham. Just as the title race was beginning to find an element of jeopardy it once again feels like a procession.

“Draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest no longer feel like opportunities missed after beating a team who have become a real force on their own turf. Only Arsenal have picked up more points at home than Brentford this season.”

For Hytner, it was another instance of Liverpool laying “down the gauntlet” to their challengers:

“Liverpool needed this after the draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest; after dropping points in four of their previous seven Premier League games. They not only embellished the division’s best away record; the only unbeaten one. They once again laid down the gauntlet to their challengers.”

As for the performance itself, there was praise from Doyle for Liverpool’s “sheer persistence” and Slot’s game-changing substitutions:

“If there was a sense of inevitability to Nunez writing such a script, there perhaps wasn’t about the Reds finally breaking Brentford’s stubborn resistance during a game in which they dominated and, up until the closing moments, looked to be running out of ideas to score.

“However, they deserve credit for sheer persistence, with Liverpool boss Slot ultimately, as at Nottingham Forest in midweek, making the right call with his in-game changes.”

Liverpool made it hard work but Mullock was another who commended Slot’s men for forcing the issue until the very end:

“Slot’s Class of 2025 is not as explosive as the teams that excited the nation under Jurgen Klopp, but their perseverance can’t be questioned. Liverpool forced 15 corners and scored with their 36th and 37th efforts at goal.”

Arsenals’ dropped points – Liverpool’s “catalyst”

With Arsenal throwing away a two-goal lead against Aston Villa, to leave Liverpool six points clear and with a game in hand, had BBC Sport writing that the Reds’ “late victory might just prove the catalyst required over the coming weeks to land the big prize in Slot’s first season at the club.”