Premier League Update: Liverpool Defeats Brentford 2-0 (Diaz 13, Salah 70)
The fervor of Liverpool’s fans never goes unnoticed, especially when it comes to a thrilling victory, such as the recent one against Brentford. If this triumph is followed by another win at Manchester United the next Sunday, making it a hat-trick of wins, Arne Slot could very well be the club’s newest sensation.
The Dutch manager does not overlook the necessity of strengthening the midfield and defence sectors, which were somewhat vulnerable during the game against Brentford. However, the team’s offensive players are causing quite the stir, living up to the reputation of this illustrious club by consistently delivering fierce and lethal goals.
Around the 60-minute mark, Arne directed an exceptional attack move, which was met with approval from the Anfield crowd. Mohamed Salah was instrumental in this play, driving the ball into Brentford’s area. Alexis Mac Allister set up a near perfect back-pass to the Egyptian, who nearly scored a goal on top of Luis Díaz’s first. Liverpool’s number seven, not long after, forced Brentford’s goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, to make a rapid dive to the left, stopping what could have been Luis Díaz’s second goal.
Liverpool’s Diogo Jota was instrumental for Díaz’s goal and as the new boys under Slot started accelerating, a crucial block from Nathan Collins saved Brentford from a further deficit. Prior to this, Trent Alexander-Arnold had hit a post from a corner, narrowly missing a goal.
Salah very soon celebrated his second goal in as many games, with Díaz assisting this time. The latter’s perfect chip to Salah led to a perfect finish, thus taking Flekken out of equation. This elicited joy not just from Liverpool’s number 11, but also from Slot, who couldn’t have asked for a better first home game.
Looking back at certain issues in the last week’s 2-0 victory over Ipswich, Slot identified similar vulnerabilities in this game against Brentford. There was a moment when Brentford’s Yoane Wissa got past Alexander-Arnold, leaving the tracking of Dominik Szoboszlai far behind. If the subsequent cross had found Bryan Mbeumo more accurately, Brentford might have had the chance to take an early lead.
The original text focusses on a face-off between Wissa’s team and the Liverpool side led by Andy Robertson. A noteworthy moment occurred when Wissa repulsed an attack from Liverpool’s first corner, swiftly clearing the ball and eliminating the immediate threat. This did not deter Jensen’s side, led by Thomas Frank, who seized upon their first corner.
The story unfolds with Konaté making a powerful headed clearance, succeeded by a cleverly executed break. The pivotal action occurred when Jota, astutely biding his time, released Díaz. Masterfully dodging his defender, Díaz swiftly struck the ball with his left foot, whimsically avoiding the goalkeeper Flekken to his right. This marked the beginning of an exhilarating phase for the Liverpool team, managed by Slot, with Díaz, just moments later, setting up Jota, forcing Flekken to deflect an attempt at close range.
The attacking quintet, comprising Salah, Szoboszlai, Alexander-Arnold, Díaz, and Jota, maintained a rhythmic flow of attack, creating a dynamic scenario that the opposing team could barely counteract. To stem the tide, Nørgaard resorted to upending Díaz, earning sneering cheers from the home crowd. However, the subsequent free-kick, taken by Alexander-Arnold, failed to perturb Flekken.
In contrast, Salah, sporting a fresh haircut, seemed to have reverted to his primitive style, downing Jensen with ferocity. The subsequent free-kick yielded an opportunity for an unchallenged Nørgaard, who failed to make an impact from a close range. The missed opportunity indicated Liverpool’s dwindling momentum.
Undeterred, they launched another volley of attacks through Alexander-Arnold, who narrowly missed the goal and the ball deflecting for a corner. Meanwhile, Lewis-Potter shot low into goalkeeper Alisson’s mid-section. As the game broke for halftime, Liverpool were likely instructed to balance their aggressive approach with a more defensive one to halt Brentford’s advances.
Liverpool’s vulnerability led to a corner kick from Mbeumo’s effort. Additional threats originated from a short corner by the Bees, which Slot’s team had to hastily ward off.
Liverpool, however, were soon to score their second, following a series of drives hurled down the right side by Alexander-Arnold, forcing Frank’s squad into retreat. Highlights included a clever pass to Jota who, seemingly off-balance, squandered the opportunity.
Regardless, what truly mattered was the final outcome, witnessed by a record-breaking number of 61,276 league spectators, including the club’s owner, John W Henry, who had journeyed especially from Boston to witness Slot’s debut performance on the Anfield pitch. – Guardian