The Liverpool community worships a national hero and if this victory is followed by a win at Manchester United next Sunday, which would mean a third win in a row, then Arne Slot will have made a great start and will be the latest signing.

The midfield and defence will require the Dutchman’s attention as they could be left too open against Brentford on Sunday, but the attack is exciting – and deadly, as the public expect from their legendary team.

On the hour mark, a series of top-notch slot balls had the Anfield faithful cooing. A becalmed Mohamed Salah awoke to power the ball into the Brentford box: the ball was passed to Alexis Mac Allister and the sweetest of passes found the advancing Egyptian in sight, who almost contributed to Luis Díaz’s opener. Moments later, Liverpool’s No.7 Mark Flekken dove low and set off to deny the Colombian’s second.

Diogo Jota started Diaz’s attack and as Slot’s new attacks upped the tempo, a block from Nathan Collins this time did wonders for Brentford, as did an earlier post from Trent Alexander-Arnold from an angle.

Then came Salah’s second in two games, Diaz the provider, his chip to the lurking striker presaging a finish that extinguished Flekken as a factor. The grin of the revered No.11 was mirrored by the joy that flowed through Slot, who could not have hoped for a better first home game as manager.

Speaking before the game about the elements “I wasn’t so happy with” in last week’s 2-0 win over Ipswich, this game was full of the same vulnerability from that day. A glimpse of how Brentford could capitalise on this came when Yoane Wissa ran clear of Alexander-Arnold’s right-back corridor. Dominik Szoboszlai chased the attacker, who left his supposed tracker behind, and if a cross aimed at partner striker Bryan Mbeumo had been better directed, Brentford would have taken the lead.

Wissa did a repeat, but this time from Andy Robertson’s first Liverpool corner. The number 11 headed the ball out of danger, chased and collected it, and ran clear down a right channel. Slots’ men escaped, but not Thomas Franks, as Mathias Jensen delivered their opening corner.

A strong header from Ibrahima Konaté was followed by a simple but sweet break. Jota took the ball, waited and then, with great timing, freed Díaz whose crossing run deflected him off the defender before a left-footed dart beat Flekken to the right of the No. 1.

A dream start for the Slot project almost became two, as Diaz kicked Jota in the ass and Flekken had to parry the No. 9’s attempt from close range. Salah, Szoboszlai, Alexander-Arnold, Diaz and Jota were percussive in their passing and movement, the leaders in a fast and furious Liverpool display barely able to cope with their visitors.

Christian Nørgaard reached for the agricultural manual to do this when he toppled Díaz, earning sarcastic home cheers, but when the free-kick was left to a think tank and Alexander-Arnold’s curling delivery didn’t get in Flekken’s way.

With his new haircut, Salah looks noticeably younger, although the hard arm with which he brought down Jensen was an old-fashioned foul that he almost regretted. The cross from the resulting free-kick found its way into the Liverpool penalty area, where Nørgaard, unopposed, failed to head the ball home from close range.

The chance was an indication of how Liverpool’s supremacy had ebbed. And although they did get Brentford back in the face through Alexander-Arnold, whose inside cut presaged a left-foot rocket that deflected for a corner, it came to nothing and Keane Lewis-Potter soon fired low into Alisson’s midriff.

At half-time Slot surely ordered Liverpool to supplement their forward drive with more vigilance to stop Brentford’s forays. The first element remained. Moments into the second half a misdirected Jota overhead fell on Robertson’s head, but from inches away he failed to register. The need to tighten up the defence remained, however.

A shot from Mbeumo that ended up for a corner was the result of Liverpool’s open position. Even more danger came from a short corner from the Bees, which Slot’s men tried with all their might to fend off.

But soon to come was Liverpool’s second, who in a series of raids down his right flank, Alexander-Arnold, pushed back Frank’s men, the best of which was a flip to Jota which, perhaps distractedly, was wasteful.

It didn’t matter. The bottom line is the result, which came before a record crowd of 61,276 and the owner, John W Henry, who had flown in specially from Boston for Slot’s inaugural act on the Anfield pitch.