Reds romp to victory at Brentford

Liverpool recorded a comprehensive 4-1 success over Brentford in the early Premier League kick-off on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the table - although victory came at a price for Jurgen Klopp's Reds. 

A first-half breakaway goal from Darwin Nunez put the Merseysiders in front before strikes from Alexis Mac Allister and Mo Salah gave them a three-goal cushion. Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for the Bees, but Cody Gakpo punished some lax defending late on to complete the scoring. 

Some of the gloss was taken off Liverpool's win by injuries to midfielder Curtis Jones and forward Diogo Jota, who were both forced off with worrying knocks. 

The Action: Although Jones and Jota's enforced exits were a worry - and first-half scorer Nunez was also subbed off at the break - the big positive for Liverpool was the goal-scoring return of their Egyptian talisman Mo Salah. 

The forward was a constant menace on his return from the hamstring injury that called time on his Africa Cup of Nations experience, and his goal midway through the second-half effectively killed off Brentford's hopes of getting something from the game. 

Prior to Salah's introduction, Nunez had put the visitors ahead with a fabulous chip after Brentford had inexplicably left themselves short at the back from their own free-kick. 

Jones and Jota left the pitch in some pain to leave their manager Klopp grimacing on the sidelines, but a smart finish from Mac Allister on 55 minutes put a positive spin on proceedings - and Salah then out-muscled Nathan Collins to stroke home a third. 

Ivan Toney latched onto a rebound to make the score 3-1, but some more poor defending from Brentford allowed Gakpo to escape the attentions of Saman Ghoddos and slot home a fourth goal for the league leaders, who stretched the gap at the top to five points. 

xG: Brentford (1.50) 1-4 (2.99) Liverpool

A 10th goal of the season for C⚽DY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yaVBXKKSBS

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 17, 2024