Isak's knack for away winners is becoming Liverpool's lifeline
Alexander Isak scored his third straight Premier League away winner at Brentford, and the underlying numbers show a striker now shooting from far better positions than last season.
Alexander Isak scored the goal that beat Brentford on Saturday, his third consecutive Premier League away winner for Liverpool, continuing a pattern that has quietly defined the start of Arne Slot's season.
Every one of Liverpool's three league wins this term has come on the road, and Isak has scored the decisive goal in each of them, according to The Analyst. That run puts him alongside Roberto Firmino, who managed the same feat between December 2019 and January 2020, as noted by Opta's Michael Reid.
The win itself was shaped by chaos rather than control. Brentford led through Keane Lewis-Potter's header after Liverpool had seen a VAR review overturn a penalty award and lost Dominik Szoboszlai to injury, the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg reported. Bradley Barcola had already spurned a clear one-on-one chance to put Liverpool ahead.
A red card that changed everything
The contest turned just before half-time when Brentford's Yehor Yarmolyuk headbutted Jérémy Jacquet at a corner and was sent off, per the Guardian. Brentford, unbeaten before kickoff, finished the match with nine men after Vitaly Janelt was also dismissed late on, and manager Keith Andrews' side reportedly protested the officiating throughout.
That numerical shift gave Liverpool the platform their first-half performance had lacked. Florian Wirtz released Víctor Muñoz down the right, and the forward cut inside to equalise. Eight minutes later Isak, anonymous for long spells, controlled a Barcola header and finished to put Liverpool ahead for good.
The pattern is now familiar: Isak contributes little for long stretches before producing the moment that decides the game. He opened his season by equalising against Nottingham Forest, then scored twice early at Ipswich Town in what turned out to be the only goals of that match, before netting the sole goal in the win at Bournemouth. He missed the home defeat to Manchester City through an injury picked up on international duty but returned to start at Brentford and score again.
The numbers behind the turnaround
Isak's underlying output has shifted sharply from last season. He has scored five goals in eight Premier League games this campaign, compared with four in 22 appearances across the whole of last season, as detailed by The Analyst. His expected goals (xG) total, a measure of the quality of chances a player takes based on shot location and situation, already stands at 4.1 for this season, barely short of the 4.2 he managed in the entirety of the previous one.
More tellingly, his xG per shot has risen from 0.15 to 0.21. That increase indicates he is getting his shots from positions more likely to produce goals, rather than simply taking more of them or finishing above his expected rate. It points to better service and sharper movement into dangerous areas, not just improved finishing.
Last season was undermined by a lack of pre-season training following his move from Newcastle United, inconsistent form across the squad under Slot, and a string of injuries, all of which The Analyst cited as factors behind his modest return. None of those conditions have fully disappeared, but the output has changed regardless.
Why the away record matters more than the stats
What stands out is not just the volume of chances but when Isak is taking them. A striker who can be quiet for 70 or 80 minutes and still produce the winning contribution offers a different kind of value than one who accumulates numbers in games already decided. For a Liverpool side that has yet to win a home league match this season, that knack for tight, away fixtures carries outsized weight.
Brentford's capitulation after going down to ten men made Saturday's victory easier than the first half suggested it would be. But Isak's finish was still the one that separated the sides, and it extended a sequence that only one other Liverpool player has managed this century. Liverpool will need both his composure in front of goal and a return to form at Anfield if the away-only pattern is not to become a long-term problem.