EPL UPDATE: SALAH SCORES ON RETURN AS LEADERS LIVERPOOL ROUT BRENTFORD
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Mohamed Salah returned in style with a goal in Liverpool’s 4-1 rout of Brentford as the Premier League leaders survived a rash of injuries to step up their title charge on Saturday.
Salah came off the bench to replace the injured Diogo Jota in his first Liverpool appearance since their win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
Having returned from the hamstring injury he sustained on Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah made up for lost time with his first goal for the Reds since the Newcastle game.
The 31-year-old’s 19th goal in all competitions this term put Liverpool on course for a sixth win in their last seven league games.
The much-maligned Darwin Nunez had given Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead with a sublime chip late in the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Alexis Mac Allister doubled Liverpool’s advantage after the interval with just his second goal this season.
Ivan Toney got one back for Brentford, but Cody Gakpo netted in the closing stages as Liverpool moved five points clear at the top.
Second placed Manchester City and third placed Arsenal, who play later on Saturday against Chelsea and Burnley respectively, can reduce the gap to Liverpool, who are chasing a first title since 2020.
While the victory was valuable for Klopp, it came with a downside as first half injuries to Jota and Curtis Jones added to Liverpool’s increasingly packed treatment room.
Nunez didn’t come back out for the second half either, although whether that was tactical or due to injury was unclear.
With the League Cup final against Chelsea looming on February 25 and Liverpool also competing in the FA Cup and Europa League, the injuries could derail Klopp’s hopes of a trophy-filled farewell season.
Conor Bradley, back from compassionate leave after his father’s death, started at right-back for Liverpool in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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