THE POINT OF RETURN!
Salah back with a bang... now Reds’ rivals know fight will go all the way
CONSIDERING his Premier League leaders were two goals to the good and cruising towards another comfortable triumph, the stern look on Jurgen Klopp’s face told a different story.
It told of a manager who was contemplating a growing injury problem; a manager who had been forced to make three changes before the first whistle of the second half had sounded.
But then Mohamed Salah scored – and all was well with the world.
Yes, Klopp’s men have coped marvellously without him, but the return of Salah after an eight-game absence is a counter-balance to the squad’s
Verdict from the Gtech Community Stadium
increasing fitness issues – and might even be a decisive one.
The Carabao Cup Final awaits Salah and, then, there will be no more important figure than the Egyptian in Liverpool’s multifronted trophy hunt.
His assist for the Alexis Mac Allister goal, which doubled Liverpool’s lead early in
the second half, was simple, but fiendishly clever.
And exactly the same could be said of the finish that brought the widest of smiles to Klopp’s face.
That smile will return if Darwin Nunez – replaced at the interval – is fit enough for Wednesday’s game against
Luton and/or next Sunday’s Wembley date with Chelsea.
Thanks to extra English lessons, Nunez can now talk a good game, it seems.
And for all the chat about a lack of composure in front of goal, the Uruguayan has been able to PLAY a good game from the moment he walked through the Shankly Gates.
There have been few players as unfairly maligned as Nunez during the formative stages of a Premier League career.
Sure, he has occasionally shown an unfortunate penchant for hitting a post or two and his return of nine Premier League goals in his first season probably fell short of the expectations of Klopp (above). But Nunez always makes things happen, always causes problems for opposition defences, always creates space for team-mates… and IS a competent finisher.
His finish for Liverpool’s first in this most routine of wins was more than competent. It was exquisite – not the sort of word you normally associate with a player who does most things with power.
This chip, this dink – from an ingenious Diogo Jota assist – was a thing of unexpected delicacy, and proof that Nunez does have a true scoring instinct.
And it was not the only clever
part of his performance, his link-up play being particularly impressive.
The evolution of Darwin in itself is particularly impressive.
Last week, Harvey Elliott explained how language lessons have started to pay off and that Nunez can now converse more freely with his English-speaking team-mates.
And he is certainly on their wavelength.
Which is why it will be a big blow if the niggle that forced his early exit turns out to be anything serious.
Overall fitness concerns are certainly multiplying for Liverpool with Curtis Jones and Jota not even making it as deep into the match as Nunez did. Those concerns, though, did not hamper the Reds in a stroll against a Brentford team who, certainly from a defensive point of view, were startlingly poor.
After Ivan Toney – who had otherwise endured an undistinguished afternoon – pulled a goal back for 3-1 following Salah’s 19th of the season, there was faint home hope of an unlikely comeback. But some appalling defending then allowed Cody Gakpo to collect a fourth for Liverpool.
If Thomas Frank’s side continue to defend like this, they will be drawn into a relegation battle before the end of the season. But they will not often face the level of threat posed by, first, Nunez and, then, Salah. The latter’s level of excellence has rarely dipped during a Liverpool career in which he has missed very few fixtures. But maybe the enforced break after his hamstring injury in the Africa Cup of Nations has done him good, energised him even more? Maybe he is coming back better than ever? And for Liverpool’s rivals on all fronts, that really is a frightening thought.