When Keane Lewis-Potter gave Brentford the lead just before the break, it was like Déjà vu for Liverpool, who have been outfought, outbattled and outworked far too often over the last 12 months.
However, there has been an added spine under Andoni Iraola – one which was gradually worked away in Arne Slot’s second season in charge – and one which provided the Reds the platform to mount an impressive comeback in West London.
Yehor Yarmoliuk’s headbutt certainly helped things on the brink of half-time, but that should not take away from Victor Munoz’s equaliser and another important Alexander Isak moment to ensure that Liverpool got back to winning ways.
How Liverpool battled back to beat Brentford
There are still some naysayers around the Premier League who take every chance they can get to write Brentford off. But the fact is that only one top six side has travelled to the G-tech and taken away all three points in the last 12 months and that was Manchester City last October.
An away trip to Brentford is by no means some guarantee of three points. Sides who are naive to think so have quickly been sent packing. Chelsea attempted the trip earlier this season, before coming away as 3-0 losers.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were battered and bruised by the Bees last season as they came away 3-2 losers. So the Reds were well-versed with how difficult it is to come away with victory in any battle in Brentford, especially when a goal down.
It’s why they deserve credit for coming from behind in such swift fashion. Once Munoz found the equaliser, cutting inside before slotting home, the writing was on the wall.
It was then Isak’s turn. In what is becoming vintage fashion from the Swede, he endured a relatively quiet afternoon before snapping up the one chance that did fall his way. It was brutal for Brentford and clinical from the forward, who now has five goals in six Premier League appearances this season.
That said, a narrow selection suggests that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Liverpool. On a tough afternoon, it was once again apparent that Iraola should axe a glaring weakness as soon as possible.
Why Iraola must bench £40m star against Villarreal
On another day and perhaps one in which Yarmoliuk isn’t goaded into a regrettable red card by Jeremy Jacquet, it would be easy to talk about some of Liverpool’s biggest problems again.
At right-back, Iraola made the wise move to bring Jeremie Frimpong into the side at half-time as he reacted to Brentford’s red card. Just seven minutes later, however, the Dutchman limped off with a suspected thigh injury – forcing Munoz into the right-back role.
It tells the story of Frimpong’s Liverpool career. This was his chance to nail down his place ahead of Ronald Araujo following an impressive mid-week display against LASK, only for injury to strike.
Meanwhile, on the other side, it was another tough afternoon for Milos Kerkez. The £40m arrival is into his second season at the club, but the same problems are persisting.
For all the work that he gets through, the Hungarian remains wasteful and limited in possession.
|
Milos Kerkez vs Brentford |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Record |
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Possession losses |
20 |
|
Tackles |
2 |
|
Recoveries |
5 |
|
Sprints |
23 |
The stats sum things up for Kerkez. He is still among the hardest workers in Iraola’s side, but the Spaniard needs more than that. Against ten men, he simply had to be more convincing and creative in possession.
Just days after Kostas Tsimikas captained the side and put in his best performance of the season against LASK, Liverpool could be forced into a decision over their starting left-back.
Despite costing £40m in 2025, it speaks volumes that question marks are still arriving about Kerkez’s place in the side and Iraola could provide a damning answer against Villarreal on Tuesday night.
