Liverpool frontline shines in dominant victory against Brentford
Having suffered just their second defeat of the season against Toulouse in midweek, Klopp’s men knew a positive response was needed against an in-form Brentford side.
The opening stages were played at a frantic pace, with Cody Gakpo firing a powerful long-range strike straight at Mark Flekken, while at the other end, Ethan Pinnock spurned a good opportunity from inside the six-yard box.
After an end-to-end start, Liverpool gradually gained control of the contest before the half-hour mark, but Darwin Nunez saw two well-taken efforts ruled out for offside, much to the frustration of the home support.
The Reds continued to probe for an opener as the first half progressed, but they were soon indebted to Alisson Becker, as the Brazilian shot-stopper spread himself expertly to deny Bryan Mbeumo.
Grateful for that reprieve, Liverpool took a deserved lead six minutes before the break, as Nuez threaded a clever pass into the path of Salah, who finished clinically into the bottom corner, extending his streak of scoring or assisting at Anfield in the league to 15 consecutive matches.
Klopp’s side looked to carry the momentum that goal created into the early stages of the second half, and after Wataru Endo escaped punishment for a studs-up challenge on Christian Norgaard, Liverpool duly doubled their lead in the 62nd minute.
Kostas Tsimikas did brilliantly at the byline to prevent the ball from going out of play, delivering an inch-perfect cross into the box where Salah headed into an empty net for his 10th league goal of the season.
Armed with a comfortable two-goal advantage, the hosts went in pursuit of further goals as time ticked into the final 20 minutes, and Diogo Jota added a sublime third, firing home from the edge of the box.
That piece of brilliance from the Portuguese international effectively ended the match as a contest, as Liverpool secured an impressive three points, moving up to second in the PL ahead of a crunch clash with Manchester City in two weeks’ time.
As for Brentford, they’ll be keen to bounce back against Arsenal following the international break after their three-game winning streak in the league came to a disappointing end.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
