Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Brentford: Salah’s Dream Ending Dashed

Liverpool settled for a 1–1 draw with Brentford in the final match of their failed title defense on Sunday, denying Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson a winning farewell.

Emotions were high at Anfield as the two club icons took the pitch in red shirts for the last time. Yet as much as Salah and Robertson’s goodbyes loomed large, there was still a job to be done for the Reds, who came into the fixture still needing to qualify for the Champions League.

Arne Slot’s men controlled the game without much to show for it in the first half, but Salah would not be held silent after the restart. The Egypt international set up Curtis Jones with a sensational trivela assist to put Liverpool up 1–0 in the 58th minute.

The Reds only held on to their lead for six minutes before Kevin Schade sent an equalizer past Alisson, ultimately forcing the hosts to settle for a point. Liverpool still secured their place in Europe’s premier club competition next season by finishing fifth, but Sunday’s clash was yet another result to forget in a tumultuous season.

The Problem That Won’t Go Away

Arne Slot failed in his sophomore season at Liverpool. | Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

Liverpool were in dreamland at the hour-mark, leading 1–0 thanks to a goal set up by Salah on his farewell. Brentford had some good chances throughout the game, but never truly looked a threat to score.

The Reds had full control until a momentary lapse—for the umpteenth time this season—cost them dearly. Seemingly out of nothing, Brentford kept the ball alive in Liverpool’s box and Schade eventually capitalized, bagging an equalizer just six minutes after Slot’s men took the lead.

Liverpool have now failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 of their last 16 matches across all competitions. In the Premier League alone, last season’s Premier League champions have kept four clean sheets in their last 21 matches.

It must be said that Slot has had a makeshift backline for many of those games, but that excuse can only get him so far. The Reds’ inability to blank opponents cost them silverware this season and could have cost them a place in the Champions League had one more result not gone their way.

Defensive reinforcements are coming next season in the form of Jérémy Jacquet, but the club surely needs at least one more center back to shore-up a dangerously vulnerable backline if they want to deliver a bounce-back campaign, worthy of the crest on their chest.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1)

Andy Robertson bid farewell to Anfield. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Alisson—6.3: Announced his return with an incredible save in the 43rd minute, denying Schade a goal with his outstretched leg. Had no chance of stopping the winger’s effort in the second half.

RB: Curtis Jones—8.0: Found the breakthrough with a simple finish from close range just before the hour-mark. Wobbled defensively at times, and failed to clear the ball in the build-up to Brentford’s equalizer.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.6: Held firm at the back, but impressed most with his long balls forward. Will be disappointed he failed to steer home his header in the early stages of both halves.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.5: Simply dominant in the air. Did well to completely neutralize Igor Thiago, who ended the match without a shot on target in 90 minutes.

LB: Andy Robertson—7.2: Had a solid defensive outing until he failed to intervene when Schade bagged Brentford’s equalizer. Lacked any real chemistry with Ngumoha going forward.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.3: Committed a few uncharacteristic giveaways in the middle of the park. Bright when he surged forward and took aim at goal, but those moments did not come often enough.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.1: Looked more like his old self in the middle of the park. Had no standout moments, but effectively pulled the strings and helped set the tempo of the game, creating three chances along the way.

RW: Mohamed Salah—7.8: In the mood to cap off his legendary Liverpool career with a goal, but saw his best effort—a free kick—rattle off the post. Came to life when he had enough space to work and punished Brentford on the counter attack with a brilliant trivela assist to get his side on the scoresheet.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.6: Heroically tracked back to clean up his team’s mistakes. Created nearly all of his side’s most dangerous chances and drifted all over the pitch to do so.

LW: Rio Ngumoha—6.0: Fancy footwork with no end product. Impressed with his physicality and did well to carve out his own space in the final third, but failed to cash in. Earned applause from the home crowd for his defensive work rate.

ST: Cody Gakpo—6.4: Another lackluster performance leading the line. Ended his afternoon with only two blocks shots in 90 minutes.

SUB: Florian Wirtz (73’ for Ngumoha)—6.6: Saw what looked like the game-winner saved by Caoimhin Kelleher deep into stoppage time.

SUB: Jeremie Frimpong (74’ for Salah)—6.4: Tidy in possession and created a dangerous chance for naught.

SUB: Milos Kerkez (83’ for Robertson)—N/A

SUB: Trey Nyoni (83’ for Gravenberch)—N/A

SUB: Joe Gomez (90’ for Konaté)—N/A

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Endo, Alexander Isak, Federico Chiesa.

What These Ratings Tell Us

Alisson returned between the posts for Liverpool. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Mohamed Salah would have loved a goal in his final game in a red shirt, but a trivela assist is a worthy consolation. He no longer has the pace or the clinical finishing ability of his best years, but the Egyptian still possesses his otherworldly left foot, and he made sure Anfield—and Slot—had something to remember him by.
The Cody Gakpo experiment has run its course. Slot once again gave the Dutchman the nod at striker and could only watch from the touchline as his decision reaped no rewards. Gakpo’s outing was perhaps summed up best by the wide open header he could not even get on target in the 43rd minute. It begs the question whether Florian Wirtz starting would have been the better move from Slot.
Alisson returned between the posts for the first time since March and hardly looked like he missed a week of action, let alone two months. The Brazilian was sturdy as ever, bailing the Reds out when called upon until even he could do nothing to stop Schade’s equalizer. Speculation has surrounded his future over the last two months, but this particular Liverpool side cannot afford to lose the elite shot-stopper, even if he is rather injury prone.

The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s Disappointing Draw

Liverpool were rather wasteful in front of goal. The Reds nearly amassed 3xG and created four big chances, yet only found the back of the net once.
The Reds once again could not capitalize on set pieces. They had a staggering 14 corners compared to Brentford’s two, but lacked any end product.
The hosts controlled the game, mustering 60% possession and completing 434 passes—the Bees only had 262 completed passes—but they looked their best in transition, finding their most dangerous opportunities when Brentford’s backline was reeling.

Statistic	Liverpool	Brentford
Possession	60%	40%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.90	1.32
Total Shots	24	16
Shots on Target	8	5
Big Chances	4	4
Passing Accuracy	83%	87%
Fouls Committed	9	1
Corners	14	9

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