Mohamed Salah scores on return in Liverpool’s rout of Brentford

Jürgen 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 Núñez goal.

At least Mohamed Salah, an emergency first-half substitute, is back in harness, supplying an assist for Alexis Mac Allister and then scoring Liverpool’s third. Klopp’s squad is stretched to its limits when Manchester City have Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne looking fresh as spring lambs.

Job done when Thomas Frank might have sensed blood from what resembled a Liverpool Carabao Cup selection, a week ahead of an appearance in this season’s final. Conor Bradley’s return from compassionate leave was timely in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold; the Northern Irishman continues to look a jewel of a find.

Before his first-half introduction, Salah was considered only fit enough for the bench after eight matches of absence in Africa and with injury. Liverpool began shakily. Twice down their right-hand side opportunities opened for Brentford, first for Vitaly Janelt and then Sergio Reguilón. Next, Neal Maupay chose to pass rather than shoot at goal.

Maupay did rather better when setting up Ivan Toney. His strike partner fluffed badly, the attempt barely dribbling past the post. A free-kick in a promising position was hit almost as softly by Toney. Still tamer, just as disappointing, was shooting straight at Caoimhín Kelleher when sent away for a one-on-one by Maupay. A further first-half chance also clattered wide, none of which was particularly positive advertising for an asset to be cashed out this summer.

Brentford were without Ethan Pinnock for the first time in 53 matches; Frank’s team’s successes in the Premier League has been built on a bedrock of such perennials but his resources are stretched, too. Last week’s win at Wolves had calmed nerves but when Bradley burst on to a Luis Díaz flick came the realisation that Liverpool possessed real danger and speed in attack.

On a smaller scale, at the other end of the division, Frank’s team are going through the similar, necessary change that Liverpool previously made under Klopp, from heavy metal to progressive, attempting to control games rather than simply overpower opponents. This season has seen their novelty value badly fade, and there were regrets here. Until Núñez struck, Brentford had looked the likelier to score.

Darwin Núñez opens the scoring for Liverpool with a deft chip over Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Photograph: Kieran McManus/Shutterstock

It came from a route one goal that late-1980s Wimbledon would have been proud of. Virgil van Dijk launched away a second ball from his own box, and Jota’s nod down found Núñez in space. The lobbed finish was superb, uncharacteristically cool.

The joy of that moment was tempered by Jota almost immediately having to leave the field with a knee injury that was so painful the forward was unable to stand. Salah’s arrival was some consolation, even if he initially looked rusty, including a miss at the start of the second half where he got his angles all wrong and his feet tangled, too. Núñez’s withdrawal at half-time added further to the medical department’s workload, and after a first half in which the stats showed Brentford registering just one foul.

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Worryingly for Frank, the home team’s organisation collapsed beyond the break. Mac Allister’s goal came after statuesque defending and Salah ought to have been second best to Nathan Collins when Cody Gakpo flicked on a Kelleher kick for another Crazy Gang-style goal. Only when three goals down, and after a couple of questionable decisions from Michael Oliver had increased the home fans’ involvement, Toney scored, slotting in the rebound from Reguilón’s shot with a precision lacking in the first half, but there was no comeback, only a fourth Liverpool goal.

Saman Ghoddos’s error in his own box allowed Díaz to set up Gakpo for a simple finish to complete a win where the comfortable scoreline did not reflect Liverpool’s human cost.