'Was rewarded': Van Dijk shares how the Liverpool squad privately reacted to Darwin Nunez's goals vs Brentford

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Liverpool are set to take on Lille in the UEFA Champions League later today as they look to maintain their 100% record in the competition.

Arne Slot has won each of his six games in charge of the club in Europe and can virtually seal a place in the top two with a win against the Ligue 1 side, although they won’t be pushovers.

The Reds returned to winning ways in the Premier League against Brentford in a game where Darwin Nunez grabbed all the headlines as he silenced some of his critics with a stunning stoppage-time brace.

Ahead of the game against Lille, Virgil van Dijk has shared how the Liverpool players reacted to the Uruguayan’s late heroics against the Bees.

Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool players’ reaction to Darwin Nunez’s brace

While it looks like Liverpool were headed towards another draw in the Premier League, Nunez came off the bench to strike two telling blows late in the game.

While the first one was a tap-in after Trent Alexander-Arnold brilliantly teed him up, the second goal was a confident finish from close range after Harvey Elliott found him inside the box with a clever pass.

The Liverpool players lifted Nunez off his feet at the full-time whistle as they stayed on the pitch for a while after the game to celebrate what could be an important win in the Premier League title race.

And now, in Liverpool’s matchday program ahead of the game vs Lille, Van Dijk hailed Nunez’s attitude, adding that he is a player who ‘never hides’ regardless of form.

"We were all delighted for Darwin Nunez, who turned out to be our match-winner,” wrote Van Dijk.

“He is a player who never gives up, never hides, and on Saturday he was rewarded for his hard work with two very important goals.

What next for Nunez?

Despite his heroics against Brentford, the Uruguayan has scored just six goals in all competitions for the club this season, raising doubts over his long-term future at Anfield.

Liverpool are open to selling Nunez in the summer as he hasn’t delivered consistently since his big-money move for Benfica.

However, he still has some time to sway the tide in his favour and his performances between now and the end of the season could well determine whether he stays or goes.

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