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Liverpool came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 in Matchweek 7, with Alexander Isak's 70th-minute goal settling it after Víctor Muñoz had equalised in the 62nd. Keane Lewis-Potter had put Brentford ahead in the 44th minute, but Yegor Yarmolyuk was sent off in first-half stoppage time and the ten men couldn't hold on. Vitaly Janelt then picked up a second yellow in added time, so Brentford finished with nine and a very long afternoon behind them. The win takes Liverpool to 12 points and up to 5th, while Brentford stay on 8 points in 7th after a first league defeat of the season.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Matchweek 7, and it's tighter than the names suggest. Liverpool sit 6th on 9 points, Brentford 7th on 8, so the winner leapfrogs the other. For Liverpool it's about not letting a stuttering start (two wins, three draws, one defeat) turn into a proper wobble; for Brentford it's a chance to prove the fast start is real.
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2Brentford are the league's draw specialists: one win, five draws, no defeats from six games. Unbeaten sounds great until you notice they've also left a lot of points on the table. Liverpool have drawn three of their own, so there's a decent chance the neutral's money is on another shrug and a handshake.
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3Player to watch is Igor Thiago. Last season he banged in 17 Premier League goals, behind only Erling Haaland, and he scored in Brentford's 3-0 win over Chelsea last month. If you want one name to drop into conversation about a club that isn't supposed to have a star striker, that's it.
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4The subplot is the manager story. Keith Andrews, who took over a Brentford side that had just lost Thomas Frank, has signed a contract running to 2032. That is a lot of faith in someone whose job a couple of years ago was not this. Liverpool, meanwhile, are still looking for the swagger of their best days. Team news wasn't confirmed at time of writing, so check the line-ups before kick-off.
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5The hook: Brentford at home have a habit of being awkward for Liverpool, and have already beaten Chelsea 3-0 this season to show what they can do against a big name. Liverpool at 9 points from six is a very ordinary return for a club with their budget. A Brentford win would be a proper wobble for the Reds, and a draw would be Brentford's sixth. Pick your headline.
Team Talking Points
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1Brentford's last game was a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Brighton, and it turned on a red card. Striker Igor Thiago was initially booked after a tussle with Brighton's Chema Andrés, but referee Michael Oliver upgraded it to red after a look at the pitchside monitor.
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2Manager Keith Andrews wasn't thrilled. He suggested Thiago had been provoked and questioned how the decision was reached, while also accepting his players need to take responsibility for their conduct. 'We need to learn and grow as a group' was the line – which is manager-speak for 'we'll be having words'.
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3Despite that, Brentford's season is genuinely decent: they're eighth with 14 points from 10 games, and that was only their second league defeat of the season. Five draws means they're hard to beat, if not always easy to watch win.
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4They've already had a statement result, beating Chelsea 3-0 back in October. For a club with a fraction of Chelsea's budget, that's the kind of afternoon fans will be bringing up for years, so feel free to mention it.
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5Next up after the break is Everton at home on 21 November – and with Thiago likely facing a suspension after the red, Andrews may need to find goals from elsewhere. Brentford are only two points off the European places, so it's a big one.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Only two league defeats all season and they battered Chelsea 3-0 – Brentford are a lot better than the 'plucky little Bees' label they still get.
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Avoid saying
"Brentford? Aren't they the ones that just got promoted?" – they've been in the Premier League since 2021. Say that and a Bees fan will politely explain the last five years to you, in full.
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1Liverpool won 3-1 at bottom side Crystal Palace on Sunday and climbed back into the top four. Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak scored. Coming after a sticky run, it was the result Andoni Iraola needed going into the break.
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2Wirtz's goal was his first in the league this season. For a player who cost a small fortune, that's been a running joke among rival fans. Liverpool supporters will insist his all-round play was always more important than goals, and they're partly right.
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3The international break hasn't been kind. Virgil van Dijk played the full 90 at Selhurst Park, then pulled out of the Netherlands squad, reportedly after playing through a minor problem for weeks. Dominik Szoboszlai picked up a knee sprain in the same game and is a doubt for Hungary. Neither is a disaster yet, but both are worth watching.
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4Alisson was named man of the match at Palace with several big saves, and he was unlucky to concede a stoppage-time penalty. That's a reminder that Liverpool's win was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests.
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5The fixtures coming up are huge. Manchester United visit Anfield on 22 November, and over the next few weeks a Merseyside derby against a high-flying Everton and a game against Chelsea follow. A month from now we'll know whether Iraola's Liverpool are genuine contenders or just good at beating teams at the bottom.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Wirtz finally scored in the league, so now everyone can stop asking. The real test is United, the derby and Chelsea in the next few weeks.
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Avoid saying
"Liverpool are nothing without Klopp" — he's been gone since 2024, they've won the league since, and it suggests your football knowledge stopped updating several seasons ago.