Brentford 1-4 Liverpool: 5 Hits and Flops as Reds cruise past Bees | Premier League 2023-24

Liverpool continued their rich goalscoring form as they netted four past Brentford in a 4-1 win in the Premier League on Saturday, February 17.

Following their 2-0 win over Wolves last week, Brentford made one change, with Kristoffer Ajer replacing the injured Ethan Pinnock.

Liverpool, meanwhile, made two changes following their win over Burnley. Trent Alexander Arnold's injury meant Conor Bradley received another start, while Ibrahima Konate came in for Jarell Quansah. The Reds also received a boost in the form of the returning Mohamed Salah, who was named on the bench.

Brentford's plan to hit the Reds on the counter seemed to work early on as the Bees managed to create a few chances. In one such situation, they threw too many bodies forward, leading to Virgil van Dijk's long ball finding Diogo Jota. The Portugal international smartly headed on to Darwin Nunez, who scored with an audacious chip to make it 1-0 in the 33rd minute.

Injuries to Curtis Jones and Jota meant Ryan Gravenberch and Salah had to be subbed on before the first-half whistle.

In the second half, the Egyptian star continued his splendid form this season, finding Alexis Mac Allister with a fantastic pass and the midfielder made it 2-0 in the 55th minute.

Salah then turned goalscorer in the 68th minute, finding the back of the net after some poor defending from the hosts saw them give the ball away in their own half.

Ivan Toney pulled one back in the 75th minute to give a semblance of hope for Brentford but substitute Cody Gakpo added another late on (86') to get the final scoreline.

The win meant Liverpool (57) would hold on to first place for this gameweek, extending their lead at the top to five points over Manchester City (52) who have two games in hand.

Here are five hits and flops from the game:

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#5. Hit - Darwin Nunez

The Uruguayan has established himself as one of Klopp's most important players this season, featuring in 38 of their 39 games. While he has not always looked comfortable, he is gradually finding his footing in the Premier League, evidenced by him producing a delightful chip to open the scoring. He now has 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season.

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#4. Flop - Injury concerns

Despite the win, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be left sweating after two more players picked up injuries. First was Jones, who seemed to injure his ankle in a coming together and was subbed off. Jota was next, having to be stretchered off following a coming together. With the likes of Alexander-Arnold and Alisson already out, the Reds could have a major issue on their hands.

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#3. Hit - Cody Gakpo

Gakpo showed the attacking talent the Merseysiders have on display. Coming on for Nunez after 46 minutes, the Dutchman notched a goal and assist. He finished with two shots (one on target), one chance created and now has 10 goals and five assists for the season.

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#2. Flop - Brentford defending

It was a dreadful performance from the Bees' backline, who made mistakes for at least three of Liverpool's four goals. Nathan Collins was especially at fault, failing to deal with the ball twice which directly led to the Reds scoring. They have conceded 43 goals in 24 games, a key reason they have been unable to get back to the midtable region they finished in last year.

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#1. Hit - Mohamed Salah

A fantastic return from injury and the AFCON for Salah. Brought on probably earlier than expected, the Egyptian continued his scintillating form this season, bagging his 19th of the season as well as his 10th assist. In the game, he had two chances created, two completed dribbles and completed all 21 of his passes.