Liverpool needed to do what it had not done since 1938: win at Brentford. In fairness, the Reds have only played the Bees four times since, but Jürgen Klopp's barren run is emphatically now over. Darwin Núñez, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo were all on the scoresheet in a 4-1 victory for the Premier League leader, but injuries to Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones were a big worry. Núñez also came off at half-time as a precaution.
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How this afternoon's game is reflected on beyond the next few hours will hinge almost entirely on the outcomes of the injury diagnoses. If Liverpool has three more names to add to the list, with Alisson Becker having picked up a hamstring issue in training on Friday, then it could be a very costly couple of days despite the three points being won.
Salah was sensational after he came on in the first half. It looked like he had never been away. The Egyptian scored and assisted and looked incredibly sharp. In one moment, he turned away from three players and had a spring in his step. If Jota is to be out for a period, then it will only become even more apparent just how important it is for Liverpool to have Salah back. Every time one player returns, at least one more seems to drop out with an issue at the moment. That definitely isn't a good thing for Liverpool to have to contend with.
Salah appears to be in good form, though, and might even be refreshed after his period out of the team. The smile plastered across his face throughout the game said everything about how much he enjoyed being back on the pitch and the truth is that his side really needs him. Brentford conceded first when Jota and Núñez were given almost two-thirds of the field to do whatever they wanted and Luis Díaz was another to be afforded a lot of time and space when that seemed completely unnecessary. Thomas Frank's side relies heavily on set-pieces but in the end, those proved costly for them.
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Salah might be back now as mentioned earlier, he looked like he had never been away but Jota has been decisive for Liverpool in his absence. He has been in the best form of his Liverpool career numbers-wise and the Portugal forward's injury looked more serious compared to Jones'. Jota needed a stretcher while Jones appeared to be saying he wanted to try and carry on. If Liverpool has come away from the game without some serious blows, then this could be a big win. It might still be even if Núñez, Jones and Jota are the latest names added to the lengthy injury list. It seems that Liverpool will have to be braced for more battling, potentially with an even more depleted squad to rotate.
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