Liverpool recorded their second Premier League victory on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win over Brentford at Anfield.

It took until the 13th minute for the Reds to take the lead, when Diogo Jota found Luis Díaz to finish off a sharp counter-attack after Ibrahima Konaté and Mohamed Salah won key duels from a Brentford corner.

Liverpool maintained control for the remainder of the first half, but did not create any major chances. Konate, however, had to clear the danger with a fine header before half-time.

Andrew Robertson almost doubled the lead minutes after the restart with a powerful header that was cleared off the near post by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Alisson was next in line when he saved Nathan Collins’ header in the 56th minute.

Arne Slot’s team responded well at that moment and created a flurry of chances. It was Salah who calmly finished after a perfectly timed run behind the line to double the lead.

Cody Gakpo came closest to a third goal off the bench with a shot from outside the area that hit the crossbar. The Reds looked comfortable for the rest of the game.

Positive

Liverpool were more than deserving of the win after an excellent second half. There were also positive signs of cooperation between the forward line, with Jota, Diaz and Salah often trying to find each other.

Negatives

Liverpool didn’t create much in the first half, apart from counterattacks, and were sometimes too slow.

Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)

Arne Slot, 6 — A perfect start from Slot, whose name was sung by The Kop after Liverpool were 2-0 up. His half-time substitutions clearly had an impact, with the Reds noticeably more dangerous after the break.

Player Ratings

GK Alisson, 6 – He kept his composure as he played back and made a vital save from Nathan Collins, who rose above the Liverpool defence to head the ball on target.

DF Andrew Robertson, 7 – Too bad he didn’t score from two promising chances, the best being a close-range header just minutes into the second half. Intelligently positioned throughout the game, sometimes cutting inside to create space for Diaz on the wing.

DF Virgil van Dijk, 6 – Liverpool’s captain organised his defence well, applying pressure at the right moments to keep the opposition at bay.

DF Ibrahima Konate, 7 – A convincing performance from Konate, who won the header that started Liverpool’s counter-attack before winning another vital duel to deny Brentford a 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 the forward areas.

MF Ryan Gravenberch, 7 – Calm in possession, but just before half-time got a yellow card for a badly timed foul. Another great performance from the Dutch international from the 6th position and he broke up the game well in midfield.

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

MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 6 – Pressed well and worked hard to get back, while showing some nice pieces of link-up play in the central areas. He almost surprised the keeper when he hit the post after a corner.

FW Luis Diaz, 8 – The Colombia international was direct with his runs behind the line and finished the opening goal convincingly, with an effort that was too strong for Flekken to handle. He provided 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 opening the scoring. He almost earned a second assist when he picked out Robertson at the back post in the second half.

FW Mohamed Salah, 7 – He was central to a number of positive chances for Liverpool but was difficult for the opposition to pick up. He started running inside a lot more in the second half, which caused problems for the defence, and eventually scored the 2-0 with a precise left-foot finish.

Substitutes (players brought on after 70 minutes = no rating)

Darwin Núñez (Jota, 72″), N/R – Linked play is good when you go deep before going straight behind the line.

Cody Gakpo (Diaz, 72″), N/R – Came close with a powerful effort outside the penalty area but it was deflected and hit the crossbar.

Conor Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, 73″), N/R – The Northern Ireland manager was at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to watch Bradley’s guest appearances, with the 21-year-old once again giving a positive impression of himself as he replaced Alexander-Arnold.

Harvey Elliott (Salah, 83″), N/R – Elliott was brought on as a direct replacement for Salah on the right flank and he almost made an early impact with a dangerous cross into the six-yard box.

Wataru Endo (Gravenberch, 90+1,) N/R – Submitted in the last four minutes of injury time.