On Salah's return, Liverpool's hero against Brentford is Darwin Nunez

Liverpool have the mission this Saturday to get a victory at Gtech Community Stadium against Brentford that will allow them to stay, at least for a few more days, as the only leaders of the Premier League standings. They started matchday 25 of the tournament with a two-point lead over Manchester City and Arsenal, but with an important detail: The Citizens have played one less game and this Tuesday, February 20, they will catch up, so they could overtake The Reds.

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That is why it is key for them to beat Brentford and force the other teams to win their respective games to stay close. And so far they are succeeding. During the first half things were not easy for Jurgen Klopp's side, as The Bees planned a strategy of defensive rigor that prevented them from finding the talented attacking players with ease.

Moreover, that was not the only problem they had. Injuries forced the manager to make changes that were not planned and that further complicated his plans. After 33 minutes Ryan Gravenberch had to replace Curtis Jones, while a few moments later it was Diogo Jota who had problems and in his place came Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger returned after more than a month of absence, considering his call-up for the Africa Cup of Nations and the injury he suffered there.

Against this backdrop, Darwin Nunez's goal after 35 minutes of the first half was widely celebrated by Liverpool. The Uruguayan striker received an assist in the opposition half, ran several yards with the ball into the box and, when goalkeeper Mark Flekken tried to cut him down by getting forward, he smoothly shot over his opponent with a beautiful finish.

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Coach in trouble

Injuries to Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota meant Liverpool had to use two changes during the first half. Now Jurgen Klopp has only two more opportunities to make changes: after the break or once during the second half. He will have to assess the physical condition of his players and decide what is most prudent.