Trent Alexander-Arnold made Premier League history with his 10th assist of the season on Sunday, while Jurgen Klopp made it 30 from 30 in his 350th game in charge.
The Reds got back on track with a 3-0 win over Brentford that has restored faint hopes of a title challenge between now and the end of the campaign.
Goals from Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino made light work of the Bees, lifting Liverpool to second and within 11 points of Man City with a game in hand.
It will be a tough task if they are to catch up with Pep Guardiola’s side, but Klopp’s fist pumps to the Kop after the game showed he is ready to push on.
Here are three key stats from Liverpool’s 3-0 victory.
Trent makes history
It took a frustrating 44 minutes for Liverpool to break the deadlock, and after a dreadful run of wasted corners, it came from a set-piece from Alexander-Arnold.
The 23-year-old’s inswinger was allowed to bounce in Brentford‘s six-yard box – and right in front of Fabinho, who nodded home for his third goal in three games.
After 19 appearances, it was Alexander-Arnold’s 10th assist of the Premier League campaign, extending his record as the only defender to hit double figures for assists in multiple top-flight seasons to three.
His first season laying on 10 or more was in 2018/19, and according to Opta, his record since then is behind only two players across Europe’s top five leagues:
42 – Since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Thomas Müller (64) and Lionel Messi (47) have provided more assists in Europe's big-five leagues than Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold (42). Platter. pic.twitter.com/ntDC6hI6YJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 16, 2022
Klopp’s 30 for 30
Sunday saw Klopp take charge of his 350th game as Liverpool boss, and of the eight managers to reach that milestone in the club’s history, he boasts the best win percentage: 60.86 percent.
It also brought his first-ever meeting with Brentford at Anfield, with the Bees not having made the trip to Merseyside since 1989 – and in the league, even further back to 1946.
Having seen the Reds held to a 3-3 draw in west London earlier in the campaign, Klopp was delighted as Liverpool produced a comfortable win at home.
Incredibly, the German has now overseen victories over all 30 teams he has faced in the Premier League.
Birthday boy Taki
A feel-good moment in an uplifting win, Minamino’s goal was one of the standout features of Liverpool’s latest triumph at Anfield.
The Japan international pressed the Brentford defence into a mistake and, with the ball landing at Roberto Firmino‘s feet, he squared it for Minamino to convert with his first touch.
Firmino signalled for his team-mate to jump on his back in celebration, and Klopp made a beeline to the No. 18 at full-time, telling him “happy birthday” before giving him a trademark hug.
According to Opta, the new 27-year-old became the fifth Liverpool player to score on his birthday in the Premier League – and the first since Daniel Sturridge in 2013:
5 – Takumi Minamino is the fifth player to score a @premierleague goal on his birthday for Liverpool, and first since Daniel Sturridge against Manchester United in September 2013. Celebrations.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 16, 2022
Opta’s Michael Reid then produced an even more obscure stat, with only Andy Carroll finding the back of the net for Liverpool as a birthday substitute before Minamino:
Takumi Minamino is only the second player in Liverpool's history to score as a substitute on his birthday, after Andy Carroll v Oldham in the FA Cup in January 2012. #LFC #LIVBRE
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) January 16, 2022
What a day for Taki!
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