Brentford 1 Liverpool 4
Thomas Frank’s side welcomed the league leaders to the Gtech Stadium, a ground which Liverpool had never won at. Brentford beat Jurgen Klopp’s side in this fixture last season and with the return of Ivan Toney, fancied causing an upset once again.
Diaz set Bradley on a mazy run before the young full back instinctively got a shot away, needing a good reaction save from Flekken in the hosts’ goal. Jota reacted quickest to the loose ball but the Brentford keeper did well to block before the flag went up for offside.
Reguilon then got down the wing for Frank’s side, playing a neat pass into Maupay on the edge of the box. He spotted the run of Toney who got a shot away in the box but dragged it wide of the far post. The striking pair are starting to form a real understanding and partnership for The Bees.
Early on both sides showed that they were keen on showing the attacking intent of a keyboard warrior in the comments section of X (the artist formerly known as Twitter). For the neutral this had the potential of a classic game of football.
Credit: @premierleague
As a Liverpool attack broke down, Brentford counter-attacked with some quick one-touch passing. Toney was sent clean through on goal but the striker could not get enough power on his shot to really test Kelleher in the visitors’ goal.
The Irish keeper was filling in for Alisson who was struggling from a hamstring injury. Being the reserve keeper is a tricky position to fill for most top clubs as you know you will not be getting much game time, however, The Reds seem to have finally found solid cover for their number one now.
Often against Jurgen Klopp’s side you are most at your vulnerable when attacking them. This proved to be true when a move broke down and Van Dijk hoofed the ball clear. A sublime header from Jota laid the ball into the path of a completely unmarked Nunez running through the middle.
He ran through on goal with only the keeper to beat. As Flekken came out to meet him, the Uruguayan chipped the ball over him and into the back of the net. It was a world-class finish from the much-maligned striker.
Critics of the Liverpool forward often highlight how he seems to want to smash the ball home all too often when a delicate finish is required. On this occasion, Nunez’s finish was sublime and showed why Reds’ fans rate him so highly.
Aside from the goal, Klopp was having a tough time in the capital as he saw both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota have to come off due to injury. The young midfielder seemed to land awkwardly while jumping while their Portuguese forward had the full force of a Brentford player landing on his knee.
Credit: @LFC
That said, to have Salah come off the bench as your plan B is a luxury most sides in the world would relish having. The Egyptian forward had recovered from a hamstring injury he picked up in the AFCON tournament and it could prove to be perfect timing for Liverpool.
Nunez was substituted at half-time after ‘feeling something’ with Gakpo replacing him. Salah ran through on goal but just as he looked to slot the ball past the Brentford keeper, he got it all wrong and sliced his effort wide of the goal.
It was the vision of the ‘Egyptian King’ playing a sublime pass to Mac Allister who skipped past a defender to poke the ball home and double the visitors’ lead. The Reds were proving once again that they are one of the most dangerous sides at counter-attacking football.
A long ball from Kelleher was flicked on by Gakpo on the halfway line. Salah ran onto it, beating two Brentford defenders to the ball, surging into the box before neatly finishing past Flekken to seemingly put this game to bed for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Frank’s side continued to press and Wissa found Reguilon in the box. His drilled shot was brilliantly saved by Kelleher but Toney was there to slot home the rebound. Since returning from his ban, the Brentford striker has just picked up from where he left off.
Ironically, his return has spurred many bets across the country on whether he was going to leave Brentford for a bigger club and as an anytime goal scorer most weekends now. However, The Bees striker is no longer about that life and will have not placed any of those wagers himself.
You wondered with quarter of an hour still to play if The Bees could pull off an unlikely comeback but Liverpool ended any hopes of that when Luis Diaz capitalised on a defensive error to find Cody Gakpo who showed great composure to tuck the ball home and seal the victory.
It was a big win for the league leaders as many would have seen this as a potential banana skin, their first win away against Brentford since 1938. It meant that irrelevant to other results, Liverpool would remain top of the table at the end of the weekend.
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