Arne Slot was full of praise for Darwin Nunez after his dramatic late brace for Liverpool against Brentford, but also highlighted the important contributions of Harvey Elliott off the bench.
Despite a whopping tally of 37 shots, the Premier League leaders looked headed for a frustrating third consecutive draw at the Gtech Community Stadium which would have left their lead at the summit vulnerable to being reduced to just two. points with title rivals Arsenal hosting Aston Villa later on Saturday.
However, substitute Nunez scored twice in the space of two minutes in second-half stoppage time to settle a thrilling end-to-end encounter that saw Liverpool open a seven-point gap before the Gunners do not take the field during the evening kick. -disabled.
It was a strong riposte to his criticism from the much-maligned Uruguayan striker, who has struggled for both regular starts and goals this season but was insisted by manager Slot during his pre-match press conference on Friday. trust.
“[A reporter] asked me similar things before the match about Darwin and I didn’t agree at that time that he wasn’t having a good season,” the Dutchman said after the last breath of Nunez in west London. “I think he is having a good season, where he is scoring goals, he is working very hard for the team, he is making assists.
“But he is competing with a lot of good players, that’s why he is not present in every game on the pitch. But I am very happy with him – not only because he scored two goals today , but that of course helps – but I’m also very happy with the other performances he put in for us.
However, Slot was keen not to forget the important role played by Nunez’s replacement Elliott against Brentford, as he was involved in the build-up to the first goal and recorded an assist for the second in a hugely brilliant appearance after replaced Dominik Szoboszlai in the 10th minute. time.
Asked about the 21-year-old’s impact, Slot said: “I was [delighted by his performance when he came on] and I’m glad we’re giving you the chance to ask another question!
“In all the other interviews the focus was on Darwin because he scored two goals and every time I said: ‘Yes, but don’t forget Harvey, he also had a big impact on both goals.’
“It’s so good for me, for us as a team, to have players who can also impact the game on the bench. This happened at [Nottingham] Forest with [Diogo] Jota and Kostas [Tsimikas] and today with Harvey and Darwin.
“If you focus again only on results, if you also focus on performance – which I do – I also liked [Andy] Robertson and Curtis [Jones] when they entered and Federico [Chiesa] was only [on] for five minutes, so you can’t say much about it.
“But it’s good to have so many opportunities on the bench, that’s why they have to stay available, they have to stay fit, because one of the strengths of the team is not just four good central defenders, but also players who can impact the game from the bench.