Liverpool have moved back up to second in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Brentford at Anfield this afternoon.
Goals from Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino saw the Reds leapfrog Chelsea in the table and close the gap on leaders Manchester City to 11 points with a game in hand.
The victory ends a three-game winless run in the top flight, but extends Liverpool's Premier League winning streak at Anfield to five matches as Jurgen Klopp's men made light of the absences of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Brentford held their own for much of the first half, but the hosts broke the deadlock shortly before the interval when Fabinho nodded in a corner from close range following some scrappy defending from the visitors.
Liverpool then doubled their lead with just over 20 minutes remaining when Oxlade-Chamberlain met a pinpoint Andrew Robertson cross to steer his diving header past Alvaro Fernandez.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's joy was short-lived as he limped off with an injury moments later, further limiting Liverpool's attacking options with Salah and Mane both away on international duty.
Birthday boy Minamino offered a suggestion that he could fill some of the goalscoring void when he capped off the scoring in the 77th minute, though, making up for his midweek miss against Arsenal with a simple finish after Roberto Firmino had caught Brentford in possession while they were trying to play out from the back.
For their part, Brentford rarely threatened Alisson Becker's goal, with a Bryan Mbeumo strike which flashed wide and a late Ivan Toney effort the closest they came.
Liverpool, meanwhile, could have added more to their tally with Diogo Jota hitting the post and Fernandez also making stops to deny Virgil van Dijk, Jota and Premier League debutant Kaide Gordon.
While Liverpool move up to second, Brentford remain 14th in the Premier League table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone. body check tags ::
