It may prove to be too late in the end but Liverpool are certainly asking the right questions of those around them. As recently as a few weeks ago the prospect of Champions League football seemed impossible but it is now six wins in a row for Jürgen Klopp’s side. In the city where Eurovision will be held next weekend, Liverpool are hitting the right notes at exactly the right time.
This latest victory was far from their most polished. But that matters little, with Mohamed Salah’s first-half goal enough to see off a game effort from Brentford, putting a dent in the Bees’ own hopes of a first foray into continental football next season. In contrast, Europe of some form looks certain for Liverpool, and they will not have given up hope that it is the Champions League where their destiny lies.
They remain a point adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United and have played two games more than their rivals. But with Erik ten Hag’s side heading to West Ham on Sunday, the pressure is on more than it has been all season. Liverpool are holding up their end of the bargain and we will see whether those hovering just above them can handle the heat of a race that seemed all but over a few weeks ago.
“It’s probably more exciting than some clubs wanted, but we have to make sure we keep those that are behind us, behind us, too. Nothing is decided. We have three to go. I don’t think they [United] will slip up but imagine if they did, and we weren’t there. We would really regret that.”
Salah’s early strike at least managed to readjust the focus back on to football after the peculiar decision to play the national anthem inside Anfield pre-match was received exactly as everyone expected. There were deafening jeers, the players looked uncomfortable standing on the centre circle and Klopp reiterated his stance from earlier in the week that he did not have an opinion on the issue.
“Today is a big day for England and I respect that,” he said. “But we have the freedom of free speech and free opinion. People who aren’t happy about it can say it.”
Within 13 minutes the home fans had something to cheer. Salah’s goal broke the deadlock when Fabinho’s ball was headed across goal by Virgil van Dijk into the path of the Egyptian, who bundled home past David Raya at the second attempt.
Erling Haaland has in effect made all other goalscoring feats seem irrelevant this season but the numbers Salah produces continue to merit their own spotlight. This was the Egyptian’s 30th goal of the season in all competitions, the third season in a row he has reached that total. It also drew him level with Steven Gerrard in fifth on the Reds’ all-time top goalscorers list, with this his 168th goal for the club. “Some people might not appreciate him enough, but we do,” Klopp said of the Egyptian.
Brentford could and perhaps should have fallen further behind midway through the first half when a wonderful pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold – who continues to excel in midfield – found Darwin Núñez unmarked in the box, but the Uruguayan somehow scooped the ball over when it seemed easier to hit the target. But the visitors improved as half-time approached, even having the ball in the net before Bryan Mbeumo’s impressive solo effort was pulled back for offside.
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Yet that was as close as they came all evening. They enjoyed plenty of possession and were arguably a match for Liverpool after Salah’s goal, but they failed to properly test Alisson and are now drifting from the European shake-up. “In many ways I think we performed well enough to get something,” Thomas Frank said. “But the one thing we missed was the quality with the crosses to create the chances.”
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Klopp said: “That was the best set-piece defensive session I’ve seen in my life. We didn’t concede a real chance and it felt like they had 50 set-piece opportunities. It was because we were really focused. We could have controlled it better but they break up play and take time over set pieces, which is legal and fair. The boys did really well.”
The better chances late on fell Liverpool’s way, as Alexander-Arnold forced a smart save from Raya before Cody Gakpo flashed a shot wide. But in the end, those opportunities mattered little. Liverpool are certainly still outsiders for the Champions League, but they are not giving up without a fight.
