Brentford 1-4 Liverpool: Salah shines on return as Reds brush hosts aside

Liverpool secured their first victory at the Brentford Community Stadium on their third visit, triumphing over Brentford 4-1 in Thomas Frank's 100th Premier League match as manager. However, they were faced with additional injury setbacks.

An initially confident start from the hosts saw Ivan Toney miss a close-range opportunity, leading to the league leaders dominating the game.

It was crucial for the hosts to secure a victory to maintain their position at the top of the table. Despite facing strong opposition initially, Liverpool managed to score the opening goal.

Virgil van Dijk initiated the play by clearing a free-kick, allowing Diogo Jota to set up Darwin Nuñnez for a brilliant goal. However, injuries to Curtis Jones and Jota marred Liverpool's first half performance.

Although Mohamed Salah returned from injury, the addition of two more players to the injury list was not an ideal situation for Jurgen Klopp's team.

Despite those challenges, the intensity appeared to increase and the second period felt like an onslaught of the Bees' goal.

Another display of South American skill quickly solidified the visitors' lead - Alexis Mac Allister connected with Salah's pass and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner from six yards away.

The Egyptian then scored his 19th goal of the season to make it 3-0. A long pass from Caoimhin Kelleher, flicked on by Cody Gakpo, was enough for Salah to seize the opportunity, outmuscle his defender, and shoot past Flekken.

The hope for a clean sheet for the Reds in seven games was shattered when Toney scored from the rebound of a strong Reguilon shot late in the game.

However, this turned out to be just a consolation for Brentford as two defensive mistakes allowed Gakpo to score a fourth goal for his team in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.

A hard-earned first victory at this stadium should instill confidence ahead of Liverpool's upcoming trip to London for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea in eight days.