Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah scored as Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Anfield on Sunday.
Díaz opened the scoring early with a well-executed goal following a swift counterattack, and Salah added a second midway through the second half. Despite a strong effort from Brentford, including chances from Christian Nørgaard and Nathan Collins, they were unable to find the back of the net.
Brentford made a tactical shift to 3-5-2, replacing Kevin Schade with Keane Lewis-Potter for their second Premier League match of the season. Fábio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg, who recently transferred from Liverpool, were among the substitutes, while Ivan Toney was once again not included in the squad.
Liverpool achieved the lead with their first shot on goal. Following a corner from Mathias Jensen, Diogo Jota initiated a counter that ultimately led to Díaz finding the net after receiving the ball in stride, beating Brentford’s goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
The home side quickly sought a second goal, with Andy Robertson connecting with Díaz before Flekken made a save. Salah had a chance but shot over the bar under pressure.
Brentford had a notable opportunity to equalize when Nørgaard’s header went wide after getting in front of Jota. Jensen attempted a long-range effort that missed the target. As Brentford gained momentum, Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick also failed to hit the mark.
In the second half, Jota’s overhead kick was saved by Flekken, and Brentford’s Lewis-Potter made a promising run but had his shot blocked. Moments later, Collins nearly scored for Brentford but was denied by a crucial stop from Alisson.
Díaz came close to scoring again, but Flekken made a fantastic save on his low shot. However, Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after with a composed finish over Flekken after a setup from Díaz.
In the closing minutes, Collins made another important defensive play to prevent a further goal, diverting a shot from Gakpo onto the crossbar.
Post-match, Brentford’s head coach Thomas Frank praised his team’s first-half performance, noting that they pressured well and limited Liverpool’s scoring opportunities. He highlighted the need for improvement in dealing with transitions that led to Liverpool’s goals.
Keane Lewis-Potter reflected positively on the team’s efforts, emphasizing their ability to create problems for Liverpool, particularly with set-pieces, and acknowledging the significance of their first-half display.