Nine-man Brentford undone by indiscipline as Isak's return sinks Bees
Liverpool overturned Keane Lewis-Potter's opener to win 2-1 after Brentford lost two players to red cards, with Alexander Isak scoring on his comeback from injury.
Brentford's unbeaten start to the Premier League season ended at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 despite trailing for much of the first half. Víctor Muñoz and Alexander Isak scored in a five-minute spell after the break to turn the contest around, but the result was shaped as much by indiscipline as it was by quality.
Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off eight minutes into first-half stoppage time for headbutting Jérémy Jacquet, and Vitaly Janelt followed him down the tunnel in second-half stoppage time for a second yellow card after fouling substitute Rio Ngumoha, as reported by The Analyst (Opta). Brentford finished the match with nine men.
The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg described Yarmoliuk's moment of petulance as the potential turning point for Liverpool's attack, writing that the hosts had Liverpool on the ropes before pressing what he called the self-destruct button.
Numerical advantage changed the shape of the game
Before the red cards, Brentford were competitive against a Liverpool side missing fluency in the final third. Jacquet made a strong block to deny Michael Kayode early on, then produced a recovery challenge to put Igor Thiago off a presentable chance after Dango Ouattara's unselfish attempt to square the ball.
A VAR review also cancelled out a penalty awarded against Ouattara, with replays showing he had flicked the ball away with his heel rather than fouling Alexis Mac Allister. That intervention mattered: Liverpool had looked there for the taking in open play, and Brentford capitalised moments later.
Brentford's goal exposed a lapse in Liverpool's defensive line rather than a passage of sustained pressure. Thiago was allowed space to cross unchallenged, and Keane Lewis-Potter's header found the top corner. It was a reminder that even a side under the cosh can punish a single error of concentration at the back.
Yarmoliuk's dismissal immediately afterwards changed the calculus. With a numerical advantage for the entire second half, Liverpool could commit more bodies forward without the same transitional risk, and Brentford were forced into a deeper, more reactive setup against opponents who could now rotate attackers more freely.
Wirtz's cutback and a familiar delivery line unlocked the equaliser
The leveller came from a swift transition rather than sustained build-up. Florian Wirtz played Muñoz in behind, and the forward cut back onto his left foot before finishing low into the bottom corner — a finish that relied on the space a nine-man Brentford back line could no longer close quickly enough.
Isak's winner followed the same pattern of exploiting the extra man out wide. Bradley Barcola nodded down Mac Allister's delivery from deep, and Isak drilled his finish home from the left side of the box. Barcola then struck the crossbar with a curling effort that nearly extended the lead further, underlining how often Liverpool now found the right side of Brentford's defence.
Isak's record against Brentford and what it means for Liverpool
Isak had missed Liverpool's 3-0 league defeat to Manchester City and their 6-3 Champions League win over LASK with a thigh injury picked up on international duty with Sweden. His return could hardly have been better timed: he has now scored in all five Premier League appearances he has made against Brentford, four of them for Newcastle United, a record matched only by his record against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Wirtz's assist for Muñoz also extended a run of his own. It is the first time this season he has provided an assist in back-to-back Liverpool appearances across all competitions, a detail of note given the scrutiny he has faced in the early weeks of the campaign.
For Andoni Iraola, the win was significant in a different way. He had never beaten Brentford in six previous attempts as a manager, all with Bournemouth, losing four and drawing two. Saturday's result broke that pattern at the first attempt with Liverpool.
The three points lift Liverpool to fifth in the table, leapfrogging Brentford in the process. For Keith Andrews' side, the defeat ends their unbeaten run and leaves questions about discipline at moments when games are still finely balanced — a lesson referee John Brooks, booed off at full-time according to the Guardian, did little to soften in the eyes of the home crowd.