Liverpool 2-0 Brentford

Our new boss marked his first game at Anfield with a win then, as we ran out comfortable 2-0 winners in the end against a Brentford side who seemed somewhat toothless without Ivan Toney.

Some weren’t particularly happy with our first half display and while it wasn’t the most exciting half of football you’ll ever see, I thought there were big improvements from the first half against Ipswich and if I’m being honest, probably all of last season as well.

We started on the front foot for once and actually scored a first half goal and it was a throwback to the kind of goal we used to score regularly when Mane, Salah and Bobby were in their pomp. I can remember writing many a post match article back then and saying a corner for our opponents is as dangerous for them as it is for us, so devastating we were on the counter attack. It’s been a while though, as we’ve seen countless good opportunities to counter spurned by poor passing and decision making. This one however was perfect. I often wax lyrical about Jota, I feel he’s the most underrated player in the PL and he showed that he’s more than just a finisher, with a clever reverse pass executed perfectly. Credit to Diaz (McMOTM) as well for the intelligent run and thunderous finish.

We remained in control of the game with Robbo going close a couple of times, forcing their keeper into a couple of good saves and Diaz went close himself with another opportunity. I lost count of how many blocks the Brentford defence made as well but we finally scored the killer second through who else but Mo Salah and with that, the game was done.

Elsewhere on the pitch saw improvements too. Gravenberch had another excellent game and I thought Szoboszlai had his best game for a while. Many of us have been calling for more aggression and physicality from Dom and we finally saw that yesterday as he won the ball back, showed good strength before playing the pass before the pass that led to Salah’s goal.

I also thought Trent had another good game but I didn’t like his attitude when subbed one bit. It’s one thing being frustrated at coming off, that’s natural and to be expected but it’s another to have a hissy fit and be walking around after the game with a face like a slapped arse, acting like we’d just lost 5-0. The team and result come first and if being subbed with only something like 15 minutes to go causes you to be so unhappy that you can’t celebrate a victory, that tells me it’s all about you first, team second. He’s not a kid anymore and how can we expect Quansah to shrug off getting hooked at halftime as part of the game when our senior players are acting like that? It just creates a story and something else for the manager to think about. If you’ve got a problem than knock on the managers door later, like a professional. Don’t strop around sulking for all to see, over nothing really.

Anyway, two out of two for Slot so far and two clean sheets so I’m sure he’s happy enough with his start. Anfield was a bit flat but I think the fans also need to get used to the fact that we may not be as exciting under Slot as we were under Klopp. We may have more control though, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Ending on a sadder note, Sven Goran Eriksen passed away today after a short battle with cancer. A Liverpool fan who’s dream of managing the club came true over the summer, which I think was a lovely gesture from the club. A true football man and by all accounts, one of its nice guys. RIP Sven, you’ll never walk alone