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Mohamed Salah, back from an injury sustained on Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, got on the scoresheet with a crisp finish on Saturday as Liverpool beat Brentford 4-1.
It was his first goal for the Reds since New Year’s Day as they beat Brentford to open up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Darwin Nunez put Liverpool ahead with a superb chip before Alexis Mac Allister poked in a second at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for Brentford, but Cody Gakpo added the gloss for Liverpool.
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Manchester City and Arsenal will move back to within two points of Liverpool later on Saturday if they beat Chelsea and Burnley respectively.
The only sour points for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp were more additions to a lengthening injury list.
Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota limped off before half-time, while Nunez was substituted at the interval.
This was a victory which oozed class as Liverpool, who might have identified this as a potentially tricky assignment, bid to win a 20th league title.
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Nunez delivered its standout moment as he broke clear to latch on to Jota’s header and then produced a breathtaking finish.
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The Uruguayan audaciously chipped the ball over Mark Flekken as the goalkeeper narrowed the angle.
It is easy to envisage Nunez as the architect of chaos, inferring much of what he does is instinctive rather than calculated.
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Yet here he showed here his intelligence and composure to set Liverpool on their way.
Klopp and his coaching staff have undoubtedly polished a player who was rough diamond when he signed for £64m from Benfica in 2022.
Liverpool’s Anfield showdown with City on 10 March hangs ominously on the horizon.
It feels somewhat inevitable that Nunez and City striker Erling Haaland will be the central characters leading into that encounter.
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