Darwin Nunez has told Liverpool supporters that he will “never throw the towel in” after his late brace secured a vital 2-0 win over Brentford.

After Diogo Jota’s goalscoring cameo from the bench earned a point at Nottingham Forest in midweek, it was under-fire Nunez who provided Liverpool manager Arne Slot with the spark he was looking for in west London.

Liverpool bombarded Brentford’s goal in a pulsating game and got 37 shots away in total – the hosts had 11 of their own with six on target – but had to wait until stoppage-time for Nunez to break the deadlock, sweeping home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s centre.

As Brentford pushed for a equaliser, Nunez capitalised to score a second – handing Harvey Elliott an assist in the process – and his heroics sparked scenes of unbridled joy not only in the away end but also among Liverpool’s coaching staff.

Slot conceded in the build-up to the game that Liverpool had failed to get the best out of Nunez this season – suggesting the 25-year-old’s strengths weren’t being played to – but he made a clear and defined point about his desire to improve post-match while reinforcing his commitment to the Reds – links to Saudi Arabia and Manchester United having emerged in recent days.

“I think you have to stay mentally strong, never give up. Yes, there are moments that are very difficult for us players, for me, it’s right now,” Nunez told Sky Sports.

“But I never throw the towel in. I always carry on working. In training, if I need to stay and practice more, I stay to improve. I think the work that I do on the pitch to help the team to defend as well. I think I’ve always done it well but I haven’t scored goals and I know people look at that. The striker has to score goals.”

“The truth is that I’m going through a rough patch and, like I said before, I stay focused on my job and giving everything for Liverpool,” he continued. “I think it’s important to keep my head up and I always say I’ve got to work because I need to improve. I stay strong with this mentality and with the support of my family and the fans that are incredible.”

Liverpool’s win, coupled with Arsenal’s slip-up against Aston Villa in Saturday’s late game, has re-established the club’s six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, with the Reds also having an additional match to play after the postponement of the Merseyside derby in December.

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP