ANFIELD — For Liverpool supporters, it’s official – last season really did not exist and their side go into their next match, against Manchester City, as the champions’ nearest rivals again.
Not since that dramatic final day of the 2021-22 season, when for long periods, Liverpool had one hand on the Premier League trophy, have Jürgen Klopp’s team been as high as second for more than a few hours and within touching distance of their foes in this new-age English rivalry.
And while there are plenty of fresh faces in the Red revival, the man behind the wheel of the Anfield DeLorean, taking fans back in time 18 months, remains the same.
Brentford were chasing a fourth successive English top-flight victory for the first time since 1939, but Anfield records are the preserve of Mohamed Salah, who scored twice in Liverpool’s hard-earned win.
Salah has now scored in 14 of his last 15 Premier League appearances at Anfield, netting 17 times. He has scored in all six Liverpool home games, the first player in the club’s history to do so in a league campaign. The Egyptian joins Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in scoring or assisting in 15 or more successive Premier League home matches. Oh, and that makes 200 goals in English football for him in total.
Salah breaking records in a convincing Anfield victory is very much a return to normality again on Merseyside after last season’s blot on the Klopp copybook.
The German had a word of warning in his programme notes about Brentford and, sure enough, Thomas Frank named four centre-backs in his starting XI to keep his opponents guessing as to the system he was going with.
Brentford caused Liverpool serious problems early on. Ethan Pinnock dragged one effort wide before Darwin Nunez continued his crusade to become the Premier League’s permanent figure of fun with two goals ruled out for offside inside six first-half minutes, on the back of his nine shots without scoring at Luton last week.
Normal service, however, was quickly resumed. Nunez played his part with a superb piece of control, before playing in Salah, who slotted home with unerring precision six minutes before half time.
Salah’s second was almost scored in silence: the ball appeared to go out as Konstantinos Tsimikas crossed for his team’s talisman, but just as was the case at St James’ Park last week, the goal was given and Brentford were dead and buried.
“It is insane really, an exceptional player,” Klopp said of Salah, struggling to contain his unerringly perfect dentures. “Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days ago about the feeling, it would have been different.
“But it feels good [to be close to City again]. It is only November, but it’s really important we have the same points as other teams. We didn’t play perfect football yet, not even close, but we have to keep going with all the other teams until maybe March or April. And if you are still there, we can start talking.”
Diogo Jota’s superb third – a thunderous strike – certainly had everyone talking. This may be a new-look Liverpool, but the Klopp title challengers of old are back.
Get ready for another epic ride at the Etihad in two weeks’ time.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/Ht3vN0Q
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