'What a substitution': Don Hutchison says Arne Slot made another incredible tweak during Liverpool's win today

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Liverpool snatched a dramatic late win over Brentford on Saturday to grab their first Premier League win of 2025.

The Reds badly needed to take three points having drawn back-to-back matches to open the New Year.

Again, it was a tough-looking game for Liverpool, with Brentford’s stunning home form making them a difficult opponent for anyone at the Gtech Community Stadium.

And so it proved for Liverpool. The Reds huffed and puffed for 90 minutes but simply could not break the door down.

With time quickly running out, up stepped Darwin Nunez to strike not once, but twice and secure what feels like an enormous three Premier League points for Liverpool.

Nunez will take the headlines and rightly so after such a difficult personal period for him, but according to former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison, Reds boss Arne Slot also deserved some of the acclaim.

Arne Slot hailed for Darwin Nunez substiution

Slot delivered a masterclass in substitutions against Nottingham Forest in midweek, the likes of which may never be seen again.

With his first touch after being introduced, Kostas Tsimikas set up Diogo Jota, who headed home with what was also his very first touch of the ball.

There was none of those heroics on Saturday, although Nunez had played just 25 minutes when he swept home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ball into the box.

And according to Hutchison, the Uruguayan becoming the match-winner was at least in part thanks to the Liverpool head coach.

READ MORE: Cody Gakpo blasted by pundits after 'poor' moment for Liverpool against Brentford

“What a story. What a substitution from Arne Slot,” the pundit said via premierleague.com. “It took the second attempt but Alexander-Arnold picked out Darwin Nunez, not many full-backs could have the vision to play this pass.

“It comes at Nunez quite quickly, in a good position – just sweep it in. There's a reason why he's a cult hero at Liverpool. He's not prolific but he's come up with a massive goal for them.”

McManaman echoes Slot praise

With Diogo Jota ruled out of Saturday’s game, many had envisaged that Nunez might start for Liverpool on Saturday.

The Uruguayan missed Tuesday’s draw with Forest through suspension and would have been fresher than the likes of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.

Nevertheless, Slot chose to hold Nunez back. And also speaking to premierleague.com, another former Liverpool player – Steve McManaman – suggested that the Dutch coach deserved praise for picking his moment well.

“Injury time winners feel sweeter, and Darwin Nunez is never far from the headlines,” he says. “Arne Slot deserves a lot of credit for his substitutions and changing the match.”