LONDON — The accidents are mounting, there are nonetheless inquiries to be requested about whether or not there’s a title-winning protection in Jurgen Klopp’s aspect and the sheer weight of the fixture record is awe-inspiring. Then once more when Mohamed Salah is returning to the ranks such issues look altogether trifling as Liverpool sustain their pursuit of glory throughout 4 fronts.

Shedding Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez earlier than a ball had been kicked within the first half means the ramifications of this 4-1 win at Brentford could also be felt fairly profoundly within the weeks and months forward. Liverpool will definitely be fearing the worst close to Jota, stretchered off after 35 minutes having landed closely on the aspect of his proper knee. Jones, in the meantime, left west London on crutches. A aspect that had been rocked by Alisson’s Eleventh-hour withdrawal following a recurrence of his hamstring damage may properly have been blown off beam, significantly in a vivid begin from Brentford.

As an alternative, Klopp was afforded an unwelcome alternative to flex the depth he has out there to him as Liverpool moved 5 factors clear on the high of the Premier League, for now no less than. Had he not been recovering from the muscle damage that compelled him again from the Africa Cup of Nations early then Salah, that includes within the league for the primary time since New 12 months’s Day, will surely not have been a type of Liverpool turned to early on. From the second he entered the fray, he betrayed no signal of being rushed again within the style that Klopp so robustly denied Trent Alexander-Arnold had been. This was Salah at his coruscating finest, stay to each opening on the pitch, whether or not a defender who had failed to identify a harmful second or a teammate about to seek out area to get a shot away.

With Jota trying like a critical doubt for an prolonged spell and video games coming so thick and quick that even a “little” problem like Nunez’s may sideline him when wanted, Liverpool should depend on Salah much more than they normally do. Actually, Klopp, eager although he was to toast a hard-fought win, is fearing the worst.

“Now we have to see how a lot [of a cost the win came at],” mentioned the Liverpool supervisor. “Curtis had a knock on the decrease a part of the shin or above the ankle. We’ll see what it means, he wasn’t one hundred pc positive. That Curtis can not play on tells you it have to be one thing as a result of he would have performed on in any respect prices.

“Diogo appears to be like in all probability the worst, I did not see it again however I heard the images did not look nice. Now we have to see there. Darwin we took off as a result of he mentioned he feels [something] actually somewhat however that was clearly sufficient right this moment to push the brake and that is what we did.

“You possibly can rely the video games developing. It might be useful if we had a couple of for every place. Now we have to see how we cope with that now. It is all fantastic. That is the scenario. I can not keep in mind someday since I have been right here the place there have been no issues in any respect. Now we have issues. We do not know the way huge they’re. So long as we now have 11 gamers we’ll go for it.”

Battered and bruised they could be however they continue to be on target. Actually, within the early levels on the Brentford Neighborhood Stadium, it regarded just like the hosts may properly prolong an unbeaten dwelling report towards Liverpool within the league that dates again to 1938. One-touch passing strikes via midfield discovered the area round Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister as Thomas Frank’s aspect flew down the left, Conor Bradley enduring one of many hardest exams of his fledgling Premier League profession.

“That they had these counter-attacks and so they look actually good,” mentioned Klopp. “I prefer it when Toney and [Neal] Maupay: growth, growth, gone. We needed to adapt our safety in these moments.”

Had Ivan Toney’s poked early effort slipped inside Caoimhin Kelleher’s far submit then this recreation may properly have been past Liverpool, who struggled all through the opening 35 minutes to quell the hosts on the counter. Even with Endo anchoring the midfield, this can be a crew that may be responsible of overcommitting to its assault, leaving gaps in behind that meant Brentford matched their guests 15 pictures for 15. Toney wanted solely to select higher moments to use the completion to breakaways. Luckily for Liverpool, he didn’t and so they posed greater than sufficient problems with their very own in transition moments.

A Brentford free kick dropped on the boot of Virgil van Dijk, whose hoist upfield gave Jota the possibility to bounce over Sergio Reguilon. His flick dropped proper within the path of Darwin Nunez, the person who is rarely knowingly predictable in entrance of objective. One-on-one with Mark Flekken each situation appeared believable besides the one he executed, a pitching wedge of a clip over the goalkeeper that nestled safely within the internet.

By that point Liverpool had already misplaced Curtis Jones. Earlier than too lengthy they’d be disadvantaged of Jota as properly, a clumsy touchdown on his knee spelling what could possibly be critical hassle for one of many Premier League’s most instinctive figures. The ache of their exits will be mitigated considerably when Ryan Gravenberch and specifically Salah enter the fray.

The Premier League’s main supplier of objectives and assists weighed in with certainly one of every in a second half the place Brentford appeared somewhat too rushed in pursuit of parity. Liverpool usually are not the identical defensive pressure as their rivals within the title race, had the Bees targeted extra on holding agency they could have arrange a grandstand end. As an alternative, their midfield three had been somewhat over-occupied by their need to help Toney and there’s no aspect higher geared up to tear via gaps than Jurgen Klopp’s, significantly when Salah needs to remind the league what they’ve been lacking.

A laser of a move into the area on the sting of the field discovered Alexis Mac Allister charging ahead to poke the ball past Flekken. Salah’s twenty fourth objective involvement of the Premier League season noticed him anticipate a flick-on from Cody Gakpo, who changed Nunez on the half, higher than Nathan Collins. 

Brentford’s resolve was not quelled and this recreation might need taken a really completely different flip if Toney’s snaffling of the rebound off a Reguilon cross had instantly adopted a penalty that wasn’t when Andy Robertson clattered into the middle ahead. As an alternative, they discovered themselves on the tip of one other defeat to a title contender that regarded quite extra lopsided on the scoreboard than on the pitch, Gakpo punishing errors from the off-color Collins and substitute Saman Ghoddos to roll in Liverpool’s fourth.

“We had been good within the first 35 minutes, one of the best crew really,” mentioned Frank. “We should always have proven coolness to create an even bigger probability or objective.

“If you wish to beat one of the best within the Premier League it’s a must to be good. We weren’t good.”

A scoreline that flattered Liverpool this may increasingly have been however given the testing circumstances of the primary half it could be a bit a lot to recommend that fortune had favored Klopp over the course of the day. Certainly it could be that injury has been achieved to his squad that can be profoundly felt within the weeks to return. For now, nevertheless, the league leaders can bask within the glow of Salah, his blinding qualities able to obscure every other points over the approaching months.