Salah reaches ton but battling Bees spoil the Kop party
BRENTFORD proved they are well capable of going toe-to-toe with the Premier League’s elite, as Thomas Frank’s side played their part in a six-goal thriller.
Ethan Pinnock put the Bees ahead, with Diogo Jota levelling before the interval.
And after the break four more players were on target – with Mo Salah, Vitaly Janelt, Curtis Jones and Yoane Wissa scoring.
Salah’s goal was a historymaker. The Egyptian became the third-fastest player to reach 100 goals for Liverpool in 150 games, two behind Roger Hunt and one behind Jack Parkinson.
He is also now the 10th highest scorer in the Reds’ history.
But while the point Liverpool picked up moved them a point clear at the top of the league, this still felt like it was Brentford’s day.
Never once did a side which is playing its first season of Premier League football look overawed by their illustrious visitors.
And they fully deserved the point earned by substitute Wissa’s late strike.
The game exploded into life early on when a lovely ball from Jota released Salah.
He reached it ahead of David Raya and poked his effort goalwards but Kristoffer Ajer slid in to clear his lines and the angle was too tight for Sadio Mane.
Ivan Toney and Frank Onyeka went close at the other end.
Then Toney’s clever header set up Bryan Mbeumo, who clipped over Alisson before Joel Matip cleared off the line.
Brentford took the lead with a brilliantly worked free-kick that ended with Pinnock scoring at the back post.
It wasn’t a huge surprise when Liverpool levelled matters soon after.
Van Dijk outmuscled Toney, with whom he was enjoying a proper battle, and his header fell
to Trent Alexander-arnold, who found Salah down the right.
Salah fed Jordan Henderson and his cross picked out Jota, who scored with a good header.
Any fears that the break might take the sting out of the game were misplaced, with the second half picking up where the first had left off.
And soon Magic Mo had turned the scoreline on its head, prodding home Fabinho’s delicious pass.
It was initially ruled out for offside but VAR overturned it.
Lesser sides would have crumbled then but Frank’s men were never going to and, when Ajer crossed, Pontus Janssen was unlucky to smash the loose ball against the bar but Janelt headed the rebound home at the second attempt.
All done?
No chance, because then it was Jones’s turn to fire home from just outside the box, his effort taking a deflection off Ajer and to leave Raya, who made two fabulous saves, with no chance.
Liverpool should then have put the game to bed but Salah and the unusually quiet Mane both fired good chances over from close range before Wissa made them pay with his late leveller.