How close Liverpool pair are to breaking all-time PL defender assist record after Brentford

The latest assists bagged by Liverpool pair Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold during the club’s meeting with Brentford have seen the defenders inch ever closer to an impressive Premier League benchmark.

Minamino amongst the goals

Jurgen Klopp’s under-manned Reds were of course back in action earlier today.

Sans the services of the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita, Liverpool welcomed Thomas Frank’s Brentford to Anfield, eyeing a return to winning ways on the back of just two points secured from the club’s last three Premier League outings.

And, when all was said and done on Merseyside, emerge with a comfortable victory is precisely what the day’s hosts managed.

On the back of a disappointing first-half display, Klopp’s men returned for the 2nd-half looking revitalised, eventually culminating in all of Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino finding the net en route to a 3-0 result:

Firmino and Minamino caught Brentford sleeping 🔥

(via @NBCSportsSoccer)pic.twitter.com/DHhDkBAzq4

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 16, 2022

Robbo closing on Baines

As so often proves the case for Liverpool, the club’s full-backs proved central to their eventual triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson looked attacking threats throughout, with the stoppers having eventually been rewarded for their efforts courtesy of the assists for Fabinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.

And, in the process, both inched ever closer to etching their names indellibly into the history books of the Premier League.

As per William Hill, Robertson, despite having played less than half the number of games, is now just nine assists off breaking Leighton Baines’ record as the all-time top assisting defender in the Premier League.

Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, in 56 games fewer than teammate Robertson, sits just two assists back of the Scot:

Most Premier League assists provided by defenders:

53 – Leighton Baines (420 games)
45 – Andy Robertson (204 games)
44 – Graeme Le Saux (327 games)
43 – Trent Alexander-Arnold (148)

Robbo is outright second. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Ehj2pjdWoy

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) January 16, 2022

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