Liverpool took their winning streak to six when they beat a battling Brentford 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Mohamed Salah's goal in the 13th minute was enough to move the Reds to within one point of Manchester United in fourth place. But Erik ten Hag's side have two games in hand over their rivals - the first of which comes at West Ham United tonight (7pm).
While it will require an almighty slip up from United for Liverpool to make the top four, it now looks a certainty they will be playing European football next season, given they are five points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in sixth.
READ MORE: 'He will know' - Jamie Redknapp makes Liverpool claim after 15 point gap closed on Man Utd
READ MORE: Thomas Frank claims Alisson punishment proves Brentford frustrated Liverpool
Members of the national media, along with the ECHO's very own Paul Gorst, were at Anfield to watch the Reds get the better of Brentford thanks to yet another record-breaking Salah strike. And their thoughts on proceedings can be found below...
Mike McGrath of the Telegraph wrote:
"It was perhaps fitting that Mohamed Salah, nicknamed the Egyptian King, scored on Coronation Day. The player hailed by fans as Liverpool royalty netted with a scruffy close-range finish that broke records at Anfield.
"Most significant of the landmarks was joining Steven Gerrard on 186 goals for the club, with only Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228) ahead of him on the list of Liverpool’s greatest goalscorers. He was also the first player to score in nine consecutive home games, taking him to 100 Anfield goals overall.
"The bigger picture for Jurgen Klopp’s team is that they are putting huge pressure on Manchester United in the race for the Champions League places. Klopp has played down chances, saying his team had longer to put together a run when they came up on the rails in the 2020/21 campaign."
Joe Bernstein of the Daily Mail wrote:
"On an emotive day at Anfield in which the home support loudly booed the national anthem played for Charles III’s coronation, the Kop were able to sing the praises of their own Egyptian King, Mo Salah.
"Liverpool fans made their controversial choice to boo God Save the King at ear-splitting volume before kick-off, when they also launched into a powerful rendition of their own signature tune, You’ll Never Walk Alone.
"It was almost a relief to the senses when Anthony Taylor blew his whistle to start the football match and Salah provided the winning intervention after only 13 minutes to break all sorts of personal records and milestones.
"Converting Virgil van Dijk’s header across goal from close range, Salah became the first Liverpool player in history to score in nine consecutive games at home, also reaching his century in total at Anfield."
Pete Hall of the Independent wrote:
"One-nil victories come in all shapes and sizes. Midweek, Liverpool looked very much like a side struggling to rekindle their former high-octane grandeur as they made hard of work of disposing of a Fulham team with little to play for.
"What will have grated those in attendance on Wednesday night most was the timing of such a flat performance, just four days after producing one of those gripping, last-minute wins that had Jurgen Klopp thumping his chest to the Mersey Beat after the match.
"Even though the top four are still very much within reach, these final few games of this campaign are the start of a rather long pre-season looking ahead to next term, given what has unfolded in a dramatic fall from grace for the quadruple chasers.
"Liverpool therefore needed to rebuild that momentum against Brentford to stoke the fire on the stalled Anfield juggernaut. While the result was the same as against another west London team on Saturday, the manner of the performance, while still showing plenty of hard-to-eradicate flaws, was very different indeed."
Aaron Bower of the Guardian wrote:
"It may prove to be too late in the end but Liverpool are certainly asking the right questions of those around them. As recently as a few weeks ago the prospect of Champions League football seemed impossible but it is now six wins in a row for Jurgen Klopp’s side. In the city where Eurovision will be held next weekend, Liverpool are hitting the right notes at exactly the right time.
"This latest victory was far from their most polished. But that matters little, with Mohamed Salah’s first-half goal enough to see off a game effort from Brentford, putting a dent in the Bees’ own hopes of a first foray into continental football next season. In contrast, Europe of some form looks certain for Liverpool, and they will not have given up hope that it is the Champions League where their destiny lies.
"They remain a point adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United and have played two games more than their rivals. But with Erik ten Hag’s side heading to West Ham on Sunday, the pressure is on more than it has been all season. Liverpool are holding up their end of the bargain and we will see whether those hovering just above them can handle the heat of a race that seemed all but over a few weeks ago."
Paul Gorst of the ECHO wrote:
"In the end, a single goal was enough for Liverpool to clinch maximum points and turn the heat up on Manchester United even further after their defeat to Brighton Thursday night. Now just a point behind their fierce arch-rivals in the fight for the top four, United might be nervously anticipating their Sunday trip to West Ham even more.
"The full-time whistle brought about the end to a bitty, niggly game that was characterised by constant stoppages from referee Anthony Taylor. Crucially, though, it was the battling qualities of Klopp's side that were enough to win the day against a physical Brentford side.
"And after Klopp had urged the home fans last week, following the victory over Tottenham not to belt out his terrace anthem during games anymore, the Liverpool manager was visibly grateful that his message was heeded at full time as he approached the Kop with a beaming smile before literally doffing his cap in their direction. There could yet be something major to salvage for Liverpool this month."
READ NEXT:
Liverpool king sends clear message as supporters celebrate real royalty
Piers Morgan slams 'pathetic' Liverpool fans over national anthem boos
Jurgen Klopp hints at Trent Alexander-Arnold position switch with Liverpool transfer admission
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool are about to save £100m in midfield
Gary Neville says Jurgen Klopp is hiding true Liverpool feeling over Champions League ambitions
