Match report: Salah scores again as Reds beat Brentford at Anfield

With his 30th strike of another prolific season, Salah – who converted Virgil van Dijk’s knockdown from close range with 13 minutes gone – became the first player in the club’s history to score in nine successive home games and kept his side in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

The Reds now sit one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United and three points adrift of Newcastle United in third, though they have played two games more than both of those teams.

Team news

Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota returned to Liverpool’s starting XI as Jürgen Klopp made three changes from Wednesday’s win over Fulham.

Kostas Tsimikas, Jordan Henderson and Luis Diaz made way and were named on the bench.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas, 82), Fabinho, Jones (Milner, 82), Gakpo, Jota (Henderson, 73), Salah, Nunez (Diaz, 65).

Unused subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Elliott, Carvalho, Matip.

First half

A confident start from the Reds saw them carve out a presentable opening soon before Salah’s breakthrough, as Gakpo – operating in a more withdrawn role – freed the Egyptian down the right.

Aiming for Darwin Nunez, Salah duly delivered an inviting cross with the outside of his left foot, but the No.27 mistimed his jump as he looked to head home.

Moments later, though, the hosts led and, somewhat inevitably given his form, it was Salah who got the goal.

Liverpool were patient following a corner before Fabinho lofted the ball to Van Dijk at the back post. The centre-back unselfishly nodded across goal and Salah was on hand to bundle in his 186th goal for the Reds – a running tally that puts him joint-fifth with Steven Gerrard in the club’s all-time leading scorers list.

Nunez could have doubled the advantage on the half-hour mark when his out-to-in run was located by an inch-perfect Trent Alexander-Arnold pass, only for the Uruguayan to fail to connect cleanly with his finish. 

Brentford enjoyed their best spell of the half as it neared its conclusion and after a lengthy VAR review that eventually confirmed the on-field decision, Bryan Mbeumo saw a goal disallowed for offside. 

Second half

The visitors began the second period brightly, too, but Liverpool went agonisingly close to making it 2-0 eight minutes after the restart.

Salah slipped in Jota and he blasted in a cross from the byline but Gakpo, no more than a few yards out, was unable to readjust his feet in time and the ball bounced to safety off his knee.

Brentford’s threat was primarily coming from their set-piece prowess, with the Reds proving the more dangerous team in open play and two more chances to make certain of the points came and went. 

Alexander-Arnold, again impressively influential in his hybrid role, fizzed a shot towards the top corner that David Raya palmed wide, before Gakpo volleyed off-target after seizing on a loose Aaron Hickey header.

But, for the second time in three days, Salah’s goal – his 100th at Anfield – was enough to earn a 1-0 home victory, with Alisson Becker able to celebrate his 100th clean sheet for the club.

Attendance: 52,838