“That’s what we need” – Virgil van Dijk praises Darwin Nunez for ‘making his mark’

Darwin Nunez was the late, late hero at Brentford, scoring twice in as many minutes for his first league goals since early November, and Virgil van Dijk was composed in his praise for the No. 9.

Nunez was named on the bench for his return from suspension and had to wait until Liverpool were chasing the game late on to make an appearance, and boy did he!

After the clock ticked beyond 90 minutes the Uruguayan struck twice to put the result beyond doubt, delivering a needed win and reliving some of the pressure on his shoulders.

On the eve of the clash, Arne Slot admitted he had not been able “to bring the best out of him” yet, but Nunez delivered when it mattered and Van Dijk was matter of fact in his acclaim.

Speaking post-match, the captain said of the No. 9’s winning brace: “You have to earn these things.

“Obviously as a striker you get judged on goals, especially at a club like Liverpool, and today he put his mark on the game with the two goals.

“Very important. That’s what we need, everyone at their best, contributing to our success and today was his day.”

You could see what it meant to Nunez as he smiled and waved over at the away fans after the final whistle, embracing their applause as his teammates rallied around him.

He made sure of a result that looked beyond Liverpool as they fired blank after blank – they had 37 shots in total – but Van Dijk wasn’t having the suggestion his side were below their best.

“I think so, don’t you think?” he retorted after being asked if the Reds were at their best.

“If you analyse well, then obviously Brentford is a difficult place to come. They have a very clear structure.

“Obviously you try to break a low block down at times, and if you lose the ball the sometimes you can get counter-attacked.

“You have to defend that in the best way possible and I think we did.

“They created some danger moments, I think they create those kinds of moments against any team in the league, but we handled it well, we created many moments as well.

LIVERPOOL TOP OF THE LEAGUE ? pic.twitter.com/GNcmZ0vqmC

— – (@AnfieldRd96) January 18, 2025

“We could have scored more, but we take the 2-0 and move on.”

After two successive draws in the league, these three points were vital for Liverpool. Who ever doubted Darwin?