Our 3️⃣ points as Liverpool go second with impressive Brentford win | OneFootball

Liverpool moved into second place in the Premier League table with a convincing win at home to Brentford.

Here’s what we made of it the action at Anfield.

Salah the king of Anfield once again

When it comes to home games, there is no one better in the Premier League than Mohamed Salah.

After netting twice in today’s win, the 31-year-old has now scored or assisted in his last 15 games at Anfield, with 16 goals and three assists in that time. Only Alan Shearer (18) and Thierry Henry (17) have bettered that record in the post-1992 era.

Salah’s first goal was a typically classy finish with his left foot after some nice build-up play from the Reds, most notably from Darwin Núñez, who assisted after having two goals ruled out by VAR. His second was as easy as they come, heading into an empty net after Kostas Tsimikas just about kept the ball in play.

It showcased how deadly Salah truly is – he can score any and all types of goals. He now has 10 in the league this season, second by just one goal to Erling Haaland. However, only two of his goals have not come at Anfield, which is a slight concern.

Salah’s second made it 200 in English football for him, with 198 coming for the Reds and two for Chelsea. That seems like another life at this point.

Simply put, the Egyptian king rules all at Anfield.

Home comforts once again for Liverpool

It might not come as a surprise given Salah’s stunning Anfield record that Liverpool are unstoppable right now at home.

They have won all nine of their games on Merseyside this season, with six of those coming in the league. All of these victories have come by two or more goals – their longest such run since May to October in 1980 when they were at their absolute apex as a club.

Their current home form is reminiscent of their heyday under Jürgen Klopp when they went 68 Premier League games unbeaten from April 2017 to January 2021. Outside of a bizarre six-game losing streak after that ended, the Reds have almost always made Anfield a fortress.

The win today came after a disappointing draw at Luton, which did illuminate the side’s tendency to struggle on the road, which has carried over from last season.

Following another international break, the Reds face the ultimate test of their title credentials when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City. They could not pick a better time to transfer their home form to away games, could they?

Brenford not in trouble but missing Toney

While the scoreline might suggest Brentford were dismantled, they were very much in the game prior to Salah’s 39th-minute opener.

The Bees should really have taken the lead beforehand when Bryan Mbuemo went one-on-one with Alisson only to see his attempted chip saved and then cleared off the line by Trent Alexander-Arnold. It highlighted how much of a miss Ivan Toney is to Thomas Frank’s side.

They are the sort of chances that the England striker absolutely relishes, and there is little doubt he would have finished if put in Mbuemo’s spot. Only Haaland and Harry Kane outscored him last season with 20 goals, a brilliant return in a so-called smaller side.

Mbuemo, as well as Yoane Wissa and Neal Maupay, have done a good job of covering in his absence but they can only do so much. Every Brentford fan will be counting down the days until their main man’s return in January.

Frank’s side are not in danger of relegation but they will be even more of a threat upon his reintegration into the side. With Arsenal linked, it is little wonder an alleged £100m price tag has been placed on the Bee’s talisman.