Liverpool ratings: Luis Diaz leads the way in Brentford win

Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as they secured a 2-0 win over Brentford at Anfield.

It took until the 13th minute for the Reds to go ahead when Diogo Jota found Luis Díaz to finish off an incisive counter-attack, after Ibrahima Konaté and Mohamed Salah won important duels from a Brentford corner.

Liverpool maintained control throughout the rest of the first half without creating any further significant chances, while Konate was required to put in an important header to clear the danger before the break.

Andrew Robertson almost doubled the lead minutes after the restart with a powerful header that was palmed away from the near post by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Alisson was next to be called into action as he denied a Nathan Collins header in the 56th minute.

Arne Slot’s side responded well to that moment as they went on to create a flurry of opportunities, and it was Salah who finished calmly following a perfectly timed run behind the line to double the lead.

Cody Gakpo came closest to scoring a third goal from the bench with his effort from outside of the box that was deflected onto the bar, and the Reds looked comfortable as they played out the remainder of the game.

Positives

Liverpool were well worth the win after an excellent second-half display. There were also positive signs of link-up between the forward line, with Jota, Diaz and Salah looking to find each other frequently.

Negatives

Liverpool didn’t create much in the first half outside of the counter and were too slow at times.

Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)

Arne Slot, 6 — A perfect start from Slot, whose name was sung by The Kop after Liverpool went 2-0 up. His changes at half-time had a clear impact, with the Reds noticeably more dangerous after the restart.

Player ratings

GK Alisson, 6 – Calm when playing out from the back, he made an important save against Nathan Collins who rose above the Liverpool defence to head on target.

DF Andrew Robertson, 7 – Unlucky not to score from two promising chances, with the best a close-range header just minutes into the second half. Positioned intelligently throughout the game, sometimes coming inside to create space for Diaz out wide.

DF Virgil van Dijk, 6 – The Liverpool captain organised his defence well, which pushed up and dropped off at the right times to keep the opposition at bay.

DF Ibrahima Konate, 7 – An assured performance from Konate, who won the header that began Liverpool’s counter, before winning another important duel to deny a Brentford chance.

DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 6 – The 25-year-old defended well when challenged by Brentford winger Keane Lewis-Potter and looked to play progressively in advanced areas.

MF Ryan Gravenberch, 7 – Calm in possession, but picked up a yellow card close to the break for a poorly timed challenge. Another bright performance from the Netherlands international from the No. 6 position and he broke up play well in the middle of the pitch.

MF Alexis Mac Allister, 6 – Liverpool’s World Cup-winning midfielder was quiet in the first half, but had more of an impact after the restart as he began to find space and thread the ball into dangerous areas.

MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 6 – Pressed well and worked hard to track back, while showing some neat pieces of link-up play in central areas. He almost caught the goalkeeper out when hitting the post from a corner.

FW Luis Diaz, 8 – The Colombia international was direct with his runs behind the line and finished with conviction for the opener, with an effort that was too strong for Flekken to handle. He registered the assist for Salah’s goal with a well-timed pass.

FW Diogo Jota, 7 – A perfectly weighted pass from Jota allowed Diaz to take the ball in stride before finishing for the opener. He almost got a second assist when picking out Robertson at the back post in the second half.

FW Mohamed Salah, 7 – At the heart of a number of positive Liverpool chances, he was difficult for the opposition to pick up. Began to run inside much more in the second half which caused problems for the defence, eventually scoring to make it 2-0 with a precise left-footed finish.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)

Darwin Núñez (Jota, 72″), N/R – Linked play well when dropping deep before making direct runs in behind the line.

Cody Gakpo (Diaz, 72″), N/R – Came close with a powerful effort outside of the box that was deflected onto the crossbar.

Conor Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, 73″), N/R – The Northern Ireland international manager was at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to see Bradley’s cameo, as the 21-year-old gave another positive account of himself when coming on for Alexander-Arnold.

Harvey Elliott (Salah, 83″), N/R – Elliott was deployed on the right flank in a direct replacement for Salah, and he almost made a quick impact with a dangerous cross towards the 6-yard box.

Wataru Endo (Gravenberch, 90+1,) N/R – Introduced for the final four minutes of injury time.