Liverpool were brilliant in easing to a 4-1 win away to Brentford, and the media lauded the Reds’ resilience amid more injury problems.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side made a fairly slow start against the Bees on Saturday, but it wasn’t long before their superiority shone through.
Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo got the goals for Liverpool, in what ended up being an imperious away performance.
Here’s how the media reacted to the Reds’ victory.
A superb showing by Liverpool, who aren’t going away
On X, James Pearce was impressed by the “professional” nature of the win:
“Really professional display from Liverpool. Plenty of adversity losing Jones and Jota (on the back of Alisson/TAA setbacks) but stayed calm and composed.
“So much firepower in this team. Endo outstanding today – what a shrewd signing he’s proved to be. Salah back with a bang.”
Speaking on TNT Sports, former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole praised the Reds’ depth and mentality:
“Liverpool have got an outstanding squad but I said it about seven months ago that when the new players like Mac Allister start to settle, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, players that are just starting to pick up a bit of form, you add the players they’ve already got.
“Their winning mentality, the manager, the fans, it was looking ominous. They’re sticking in it. They’ve gone five points clear today, playing and winning early on a Saturday is a brilliant feeling.”
Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail felt Liverpool simply had too much for Brentford in an attacking sense:
“This was one of those brutal demonstrations of the Premier League‘s haves and have-nots.
“Brentford simply couldn’t cope with Liverpool’s expensively forward line. They aren’t the first to succumb. They certainly won’t be the last.
“Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo all contributed to this emphatic win as Jurgen Klopp‘s side maintained their place at the top of the table.
“Of course, Brentford can only dream of having those sort of options. Their manager Thomas Frank has done on hell of job with what he has. But sometimes, you can only put your hands up and accept your medicine. This was one of those days.”
It’s great to have Salah back
The Independent‘s Karl Matchett thinks Salah’s return has come at a perfect time:
“Amid all that attacking talent, one star shone more brightly, and maybe more importantly in the long run.
“That was Salah, of course, and he did not have long to wait to celebrate himself. Hesitation in the Bees’ back line saw him pounce on Gakpo’s flick on, beat Nathan Collins and finish in customary style, across the keeper and into the far corner for the Reds’ third.
[…]
“But perhaps the more pertinent cause for celebration from a red perspective would be because Salah brings an injection of quality and a guarantee of goals – just when Liverpool appear to have lost a significant amount of both, at a critical time of the campaign.”
The Telegraph‘s Sam Dean couldn’t speak highly enough of the returning Salah, who oozed quality:
“There are very few players in the world of football who can silence a crowd without even touching the ball.
“Players who can send tremors of fear through a stadium, not because of what they have just done, but because of what they are evidently just about to do. Players who bring with them a sense of inevitability, even when the ball is 40 yards from goal and not yet in their possession.
“Mohamed Salah is one of those players and, when he strode onto Cody Gakpo’s flicked header after 68 minutes here, it felt like the air had been removed from the Gtech Community Stadium.
“Salah had not even reached the ball yet but everyone in the ground, including Brentford’s defenders, knew what would happen next.”
Tom Victor of the Mirror enjoyed what he saw again from Mac Allister in the No.8 role:
“Alexis Mac Allister has often started deeper at Liverpool than he did for previous club Brighton, but some forced changes could spell good news for the Argentine’a attacking instincts.
“The World Cup winner was pushed forward after Curtis Jones made way for Ryan Gravenberch, and reaped the benefits with a well-taken goal to make it 2-0.
[…]
“If Jones and Szoboszlai aren’t fit for next week’s Carabao Cup final, the 25-year-old may look back at this game as an audition for a more advanced role. And it’s one he looks to have passed.”
Timothy Abraham of BBC Sport was very impressed by Nunez’s finish and the manner in which he has improved:
“It is easy to envisage Nunez as the architect of chaos, inferring much of what he does is instinctive rather than calculated. Yet here he showed here his intelligence and composure to set Liverpool on their way.
“Klopp and his coaching staff have undoubtedly polished a player who was rough diamond when he signed for £64m from Benfica in 2022.”
It was hard not to worry about injuries, though
On X, David Lynch felt Jota’s injury could have a big impact on Liverpool’s season:
“We should be hailing this as another crucial, deserved win for Liverpool at a ground where they’ve previously struggled.
“But it’s hard to shake the feeling that today could end up being a blow to their chances depending on the severity of that Diogo Jota injury in particular.”
Finally, John Brewin of the Guardian rued the fact that Klopp’s final season could be affected by endless fitness issues:
“Jurgen Klopp’s last dance is being performed by weary limbs. Liverpool’s list of walking wounded continues to grow. If the given reason for Klopp’s departure is his running out of energy, he may also be running out of players.
“Victory at Brentford, retaining Liverpool’s leadership of the Premier League, came after injuries to important players in Curtis Jones, Darwin Núñez, goalscorer of an incisive opener, and Diogo Jota, provider for that Nunez goal.”
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