The title of king is earned in these parts, not given. Mohamed Salah has long been the ‘Egyptian King’ to supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Therefore it felt appropriate on the day of the Coronation of King Charles III that Salah would score his 100th goal at Anfield. The record-setting strike was enough to hand Liverpool a 1-0 against Brentford as they chase an unlikely return to the Champions League.
While the crowd was cacophonous in their opposition to the playing of the national anthem, Mohamed Salah had them in the palm of his hands with a dazzling first half display. A slick one-two with Darwin Nunez saw the ‘Egyptian King’ unleash an outside-foot cross that was headed away. The roars from the appreciative Anfield support were deafening as the game heated up.
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The goal arrived soon enough. Fabinho picked a peach of a pass to Virgil van Dijk. The defener cushioned a header to Salah, who set the ball with a touch before bundling it into the net. It was his 100th Anfield goal and while it wasn’t his most spectacular, it was rapturously received.
Van Dijk’s next intervention was not quite as potent, sending a speculative shot wide. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s incredible pass to Nunez was better, even if the Uruguay international’s finish was poor. The troubled striker bumbled the effort wide having done well to get on the end of it. If he can sharpen his finishing, his positional play is already quite brilliant.
Brentford bit back before half-time, or at least they thought they had. Ivan Toney picked a peach of a pass out wide to Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon international left Van Dijk in the dust before whipping the ball around Alisson. It was a high-speed thriller of a manoeuvre, but one nullified by VAR. Mbeumo had gone a second too soon while stealing a chase on the Liverpool defender.
The second half started with a coming together between Toney and Alisson. The striker followed through while chasing an Mbeumo cross. Thankfully neither party was injured in a bruising opening salvo.
It was a bitty, foul-ridden second period which struggled for a rhythm. Liverpool largely got the better of the exchanges, but the free-flowing football that had seen Salah in particular thrive was a memory. Manager Jurgen Klopp was perhaps conscious of this when he replaced Diogo Jota with Jordan Henderson. If this game was taking on a more functional bent, perhaps it was best to lean into it.
Alexander-Arnold’s quick thinking nearly doubled Liverpool’s lead. He caught Brentford napping in the right half-space, robbed the ball and drew a great save from David Raya. It was one of the few moments of genuine quality in a second half bereft of the inventiveness of the first.
Liverpool have gone within a point of Manchester United in fourth place with this win. They have played two more matches than their arch rivals but all Klopp’s side can do is keep winning. With the Red Devils’ form faltering, consistency could return Liverpool to a competition with which they are synonymous. If they get there, it could well be the doing of a certain ‘Egyptian King’.
