Liverpool 3 Brentford 0: Darwin Nunez has 2 goals ruled out but rampant Reds thrash Bees to go level on points with City
THE STATS just continue to get ever more sensational for Mo Salah as he once more displayed the majestic touch that makes him Anfield’s Egyptian king.
His double that saw off Thomas Frank’s ambitious intruders took his tally in English football to a royal 200.
Only two of those were scored when he was a near – unknown at Chelsea before the move to Roma that began making his name and brought him to Liverpool what now looks like a pittance of £34M six years ago.
Salah has already racked up plenty of record but now he has another one for he is only the fourth player after Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Thierry Henry to score in each of their sides’ opening six home Prem games.
His goals, one a beauty, the other a free header, too Jurgen Klopp’s men to another magic mark.
They helped equal a club record of nine successive home wins by a margin of two or more goals set from May to October 1980.
Marvellous though Salah’s first was, it would only have been the icing on the Kop cake had Nunez not already been denied two goals in five minutes as marginal off-side decisions went against him.
A quarter of the way through Dominic Szoboszlai, showing the vision that has quickly made him the new star of Liverpool’s new midfield, found the Uruguayan with a clinical pass.
But he had infringed by about the length of his big toes.
He was left disappointed again after Virgil van Dijk, after missing Thursday night’s shock Europa League 3 – 2 loss to Toulouse through illness, climbed to produce a towering header.
Goalkeeper Mark Flekken produced an outstanding parry and in the scramble that followed Nunez hit the net with a fine overhead effort.
But on both occasions an eagle – eyed linesman flagged correctly with confirmation from VAR Stuart Atwell.
That being said boss Frank’s tactics of trying to squeeze the life out of his opponents through the middle – forcing Klopp’s attackers to go wide – had resulted in two major frights in front of the Kop.
Both times Bryan Mbueno could have ended up celebrating instead of ruing a lack of awareness.
Twenty minutes had gone with Liverpool looking less than fluid.
Alexis Mac Allister was missing after picking up five yellow cards and Wataru Endo replaced him.
But the Japanese holding midfielder who also came in this summer at £16M doesn’t possesses the vision of the World Cup winner – whether it be moving forward or doing the protection job that is his first priority.
The Bees burst through and while Trent Alexander-Arnold looked to have tidied up his attempted clearance fell short.
Mbueno waited a heartbeat too long to react, the England right back just in time to recover and force him to shoot wide.
Alexander-Arnold found himself exposed again by another lighting raid, Mbueno through one-on-one against Alisson.
The Brazilian goalkeeper did really well to divert the striker’s shot but had he still hit it too early when he could easily have moved into a more menacing position.
A goal at that point would have put the cat amongst the pigeons but five minutes later Salah got back down to doing what he does best, and at Anfield especially.
But he was also in debt to Nunez whose whole performance suggested that while he missed a sitter the week before at Luton he is growing into being his side’s main striker.
He accepted a pass from Alexander-Arnold and delivered low and angled to Salah who controlled superbly before showing the composure that might be his middle name to slot a left – footer beyond Flekken.
Astonishingly he then missed a far easier opportunity five minutes into time added on as from six yards he ballooned over from Alexander-Arnold’s high-precision chip.
Endo got lucky soon after the break for a clattering challenge on Christian Norgaard.
While both went for the ball the Liverpool player looked to have caught the Dane late and high on his outstretched thigh.
But referee Tierney, backed up by VAR, kept both cards in his pocket, much to the finger-wagging disgust of Frank.
From that point the fire left Bees bellies and Salah claimed his second in the 62nd minute.
Kostas Tsmikas just got his foot around the ball before it crossed the bye – line.
The visiting defenders stopped, believing the ball had gone out of play but Salah didn’t.
His header from 14 yards gave Flekken no chance before re – runs proved the strike should stand.
In a clash that had hung in the balance Klopp’s men were suddenly on easy street.
Tsmikas again enjoyed room down the left, pulling the ball sideways to Diogo Jota who stylishly claimed his 11th goal in 20 Prem games.
For a while Frank and his players may have believed that they might be in with a chance of becoming the first Brentford side to win at Anfield in 86 years.
But Liverpool don’t lose when they lead at home at half time and that sequence now stretches to 140 games with just one defeat in their last 48 on their own treasured turf.
More to follow…
Check out how the game unfolded below…