Match report: Brentford 1-4 Liverpool
Premier League: It was a comfortable win for a Liverpool side who went five points clear at the Premier League summit but lost three key players to injuries of varying degrees of seriousness.
Jurgen Klopp speaks: “It is mixed emotions, we lost players which we don’t know how serious it is,” he says in an interview with TNT. “It doesn’t look great for either of them. But we cannot chanfge that any more. What the boys did after 15 minutes was exceptional against a team set up to annoy you and have set pieces. Eighteen times a set piece is flying into your box.
“It has nothing to do with quality or it has nothing to do with luck. You need bodies and luck in a moment and a goalie as well and we had Caoimhin, who played an incredible game. We played a good game from a specific moment on. We controlled them as much as you can and we are happy about that.”
Does he think his team are having bad luck with injuries? “Definitely. I think there was a knock on Curtis [Jones]. It was a challenge with Diogo [Jota] as well and Darwin [Nunez]. We are not sure if he has something or not, he fell and he felt something. We will see. It was never easy for us, at the moment it is fine. We have 57 points and in a few days play again.”
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A quick recap: Brentford started brightly but fell behind to an excellent goal from Darwin Nunez during a first half in which Liverpool lost both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota to injury. Alexis Mac Allister doubled Liverpool’s lead, set up by a wonderful threaded pass by Mo Salah, who put the game beyond Brentford with his side’s third. Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for Brentford with 15 minutes to go but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished by Cody Gakpo’s strike as Liverpool capitalised on a Samon Ghoddos defensive blunder.
Alexis Mac Allister: “You can see how much it means to us to win football games,” he tells TNT pitchside reporter Jules Breach. “That’s what we want. We came to a place that everyone knows is very tough, with very good opponents, so we are very happy to take the three points home.”
On his new, more advanced role in the Liverpool team compared to last season: “I like it,” he says. “My idea is to understand football more and be helpful for the team wherever they need me. It doesn’t matter if it’s No6, No10, No9 … whatever, I try to do my best and I’m feeling really good. To score and assist, that’s very important.”
Full time: Brentford 1-4 Liverpool
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeep! Liverpool go five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, having played two games more. It was an excellent performance against fairly limited hosts who I expected to put up a better show. They stay in 14th with a six-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
90+6 min: Liverpool corner. Andy Robertson takes it in front of the travelling fans and his delivery is headed off the bar by Virgil van Dijk.
90+3 min: Gravenberch clears a Brentford corner, while an alarming number of pigeons appear to have congregated on the pitch near the Brentford penalty area. You’d have to ask them why.
90+2 min: We’re into seven minutes of added time and Brentford have a free-kick. Jensen’s whipped delivery to the near post is flicked goalwards by Toney and Kelleher makes a sensational save from point-blank range.
90 min: Liverpool free-kick on the edge of the Brentford penalty area. Elliott’s curled effort is on target but saved by Mark Flekken.
89 min: Liverpool substitutes I didn’t get around to telling you about: Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomes on for Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley.
GOAL! Brentford 1-4 Liverpool (Gakpo 86)
And that is that. Ghoddos has an immediate impact and it’s not one he would have liked. He’s left holding his head in his hands after completely miskicking while trying to clear the ball from the edge of his own penalty area. Luiz Diaz pounces to square it for Gakpo. He fires home with a minimum of fuss.
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84 min: Brentford substitution: Samon Ghoddos on for Sergio Reguilon.
82 min: … still no penalty.
82 min: In the Brentford penalty area, Nathan Collins slides in to challenge Luis Diaz and clearly catches the Liverpool forward’s ankle. No penalty. There’s a VAR check and …
81 min: I would suggest that in terms of spikiness, mouthiness, his ability to wind up opponents and his occasional goal droughts, Neal Maupay is almost certainly Brentford’s Dwight Gayle but unfortunately he’s no longer on the pitch.
80 min: “The parallels with the away game v Crystal Palace in 2013-14 are there,” writes Andy Flintoff (not that one). “They were 3-0 up away from home and apparently cruising, leading the league, but Man City could go top winning their games in hand. Who’s going to be Brentford’s Dwight Gayle?”
79 min: Mac Allister tries to tee up Luis Diaz with a backheel in the Brentford penalty area but fails to find his teammate.
76 min: Brentford looked dead, buried and more than a little aggrieved at 3-0 down after being denied what I thought was a clear penalty for Robertson’s barge on Ivan Toney. However, they’ve thrown themselves a lifeline and could make the closing stages of this game very interesting indeed if they can bag another goal.
GOAL! Brentford 1-3 Liverpool (Toney 75)
Brentford pull one back! Following good work from Wissa on the inside right, Reguilon smashes the ball goalwards and brings a terrific save out of Caoimhin Kelleher. Ivan Toney is on hand to spank home the follow-up.
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72 min: Ivan Toney is aggressively barged off the ball by Andy Robertson in the Liverpool penalty area but doesn’t get a penalty, even after a VAR check. Moments later, Frank Onyeka is booked for a reckless challenge on Endo. Liverpool’s Japanese midfielder is also on a yellow card, having been cautioned for a foul on somebody-or-other a few minutes ago.
71 min: Brentford attack down the left flank, play the ball inside and within seconds it’s back at the feet of their goakeeper despite not being touched by a Liverpool player. That’s their problem, right there.
GOAL! Brentford 0-3 Liverpool (Salah 67)
Salah scores! The Egyptian scores on his return, latching on to a flick-on from the halfway line after Caoimhin Kelleher had hoofed the ball long. He shimmies this way and that, turning Nathan Collins inside-out before dispatching the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.
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66 min: Liverpool are in complete control of this game and Brentford are barely getting a look-in. Gravenberch plays a pass into the Brentford penalty area, Salah immediately lays off to Diaz and his shot from 12 yards is blocked.
62 min: Thomas Frank has his magnetic tactics board out and is issuing last-minute diktats to three Brentford substitutes. Yoane Wissa, Keane Lewis-Potter and Frank Onyeka come on for Mads Roerslev, Neal Maupay and Christian Norgaard.
60 min: Conor Bradley advances with the ball at his feet and shoots over the bar from distance. It’s a decent effort which prompts applause from Jurgen Klopp.
59 min: A high ball to the edge of the Liverpool penalty area is knocked down by Ben Mee. Ivan Toney helps the ball along and Neal Maupay sends it over the bar. Offside.
57 min: Endo gets caught in possession just inside the Brentford half. The ball is played forward to Jensen, who spots Kelleher off his line and tries his luck from just inside the Liverpool half. Kelleher backpedals furiously but there’s no need – Jensen’s lob is too weak and off target but you can’t fault him for having a go.
GOAL! Brentford 0-2 Liverpool (Mac Allister 54)
Liverpool double their lead! Mo Salah picks out Mac Allister with a wonderful low pass into the mddle of the Brentford penalty area. The Argentinian takes it past Ben Mee with a wonderful first touch, before rolling the ball into the far corner.
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53 min: Liverpool break upfield on the counter with Salah on the ball and men to his left and right. He plays it to Gakpo on his right, whose return pass is intercepted.
50 min: Bearing down on the Brentford goal from a tightish angle, Mo Salah attempts to dink the ball over the onrushing Flekken with the outside of his left boot but makes a bit of a mess of it. Wide.
49 min: Luis Diaz shoots high and wide of the Brentford goal.
48 min: Both Conor Bradley and Ivan Toney need treatment early in the second half but the pair of them are passed fit to continue. With all these bodies dropping, the Gtech Stadium is like the set of a John Wick movie.
Second half: Brentford 0-1 Liverpool
46 min: Play resumes with Brentford on the ball. Liver4pool have made a third change, bringing on Cody Gakpo for Darwin Nunez. Contrary to my diagonosis, it seems that Diogo Jota has a knee injury, suffered when Christian Norgaard landed on top of him after the two players challenged for the ball. That’s two Liverpool players the Brentford midfielder has knobbled and TNT Sports report that Jurgen Klopp is not happy about it.
Liverpool’s goal: The more you look at it the more there is to admire. Virgil van Dijk lumped the ball forward to clear a Brentford free-kick. In a foot-race with Sergio Reguilon, Diogo Jota played an inch-perfect header into the path of Darwin Nunez, despite facing away from his teammate.
With the Brentford goal at his mercy and only Mark Flekken to beat, the Uruguayan was running at full pelt as he nonchalently chipped the ball over the goalkeeper, who had come off his line and was standing tall, before watching it bounce into the back of the net.
Half-time: Brentford 0-1 Liverpool
Peep! Michael Oliver brings a very entertaining half to a close, with Liverpool leading courtesy of a terrific goal from Darwin Nunez. In rather more upsetting news for Liverpool fans, they’ve lost both Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota to injury, the latter being stretchered off not long after playing a pivotal role in the build-up to his side’s goal.
Whatever about Jones, who seemed to twist his ankle, Jota seems unlikely to feature in next weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. While I’m no doctor, it looks like he might have cracked or broken a metatarsal after his teammate Alexis Mac Allister accidentally trod on his instep.
45+7 min: Mac Allister, Nunez and Salah combine out by the right touchline but are unable to get the ball into the Brentford penalty area.
45+5 min: Brentford free-kick, wide on the left. Reguilon’s delivery is too close to Kelleher, who plucks the ball from the air and sends it quickly upfield.
45+2 min: Luis Diaz clears a long throw from Matthias Jensen with his head and Liverpool break upfield on the counter at speed. Diaz pulls the ball back for Salah and it takes a deflection off Darwin Nunez on its way. This slight touch forces Salah to stretch and the ball clanks harmlessly off his shin.
45+1 min: Alexis Mac Allister, who has already committed several fouls, is penalised for bringing down Ivan Toney but avoids a booking. Perhaps Reguilon had a point.
44 min: Sergio Reguilon gets booked for a late challenge on Conor Bradley. He pleads for leniency, telling the ref that it’s only his first such challenge of the game, which isn’t a great defence.
43 min: The stretcher-bearers have been summoned and Jota’s race is run. I’m not sure whether it was the stamp on the foot from Mac Allister or the heavy landing after his tussle with Norgaard that has done for him. Liverpool make their second substittuion of the game and it’s not a bad card to play: Mo Salah is on.
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40 min: Diogo Jota goes down injured after being flattened in a challenge with Norgaard. To add insult (and another injury) to injury, his own teammate Alexis Mac Allister treads on his instep in a three-way tussle for the ball. Ouch.
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38 min: That was a really terrific goal. Jota showed an almost supernatural awareness of his surroundings to pick out Nunez as he helped Virgil van Dijk’s hooted clearance upfield, while the goalscorer’s insoucient chip over Flekken made a mockery of those, myself included, prone to mocking his apparent ineptitude when it comes to finishing.
GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Liverpool (Nunez 35)
Liverpool strike on the counter! From a Brentford free-kick, Van Dijk hoofs the ball clear. Diogo Jota picks out Darwin Nunez with a splendid header. The Uruguayan striker gallops clear, bearing down on the Brentford penalty area and scoops the ball over Mark Flekken and into the back of the net. It’s a wonderful finish.
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34 min: Liverpool substitution: Ryan Gravenberch on for Curtis Jones.
32 min: Play resumes but it looks like the jig might be up for Curtis Jones. He’s standing on the touchline doubled over in pain, while a Liverpool physio stands alongside him jabbering into his comms device.
30 min: There’s a break in play as Curtis Jones, who lost the ball in the build-up to that last Brentford attack, receives treatment for an ankle injury. He landed awkwardly after being tackled by Christian Norgaard and looks to be in a lot of pain.
29 min: Brentford win the ball in midfield and gallop forward. Neal Maupay tees up Christian Norgaard, whose shot is totally lacking in conviction. Wide.
28 min: Diogo Jota gets the ball at his feet, puts his head down and charges towards the Brentford penalty area. Ben Mee dives in to dispossess him with a perfectly timed tackle. Moments later, Ivan Toney gets a sight of the Liverpool goal but shoots well wide.
26 min: Robertson dinks the ball towards the far post, where Luis Diaz tries to chest it down in a tight area. It’s a might too high for him and the ball goes wide.
24 min: Brentford free-kick, wide on the left, about 40 yards from the Liverpool goal. Reguilon floats the ball towards the far post, where Ben Mee is unable to head it across the face of goal despite stretching every sinew.
23 min: Liverpool win their third corner in quick succession and their fifth of the game but Brentford eventually clear courtesy of a meaty header from Ivan Toney.
22 min: Diogo Jota wins a corner for Liverpool, his rasping shot forced over by Mark Flekken. From that, they win another, despite Wataru Endo appearing to blatantly handle the ball as he tried to head home at the near post.
20 min: A brilliant counter-attack from Brentford puts Toney through on goal after running on to a Neal Maupay pass from deep. Ibrahima Konate gets back to put him under pressure and the Brentford striker shoots tamely at Kelleher.
19 min: Robertson gallops up the left touchline and overhits his cross into the Brentford penalty area. The ball sails towards Bradley, he picks out Nunez and Brentford clear. Brentford are playing very well and making life very difficult for their visitors.
16 min: Alexis Mac Allister fouls Toney this close to the edge of the Liverpool box and survives a VAR check for a penalty. Brentford have a free-kick in a great position. Ivan Toney and Sergio Reuilion stand over the ball, before the former sends it straight into the gloves of Caoimhin Kelleher.
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15 min: Eschewing a shooting opportunity of his own, Neal Maupay elects instead to play the ball into the path of Ivan Toney. At the corner of the six-yard box, he gets it caught under his feet and can only send it trundling narrowly wide of the far upright.
12 min: Kristoffer Ajer concedes a corner while trying to clear up after Nathan Collins had coughed up possession to Darwin Nunez. Andy Robertson’s corner is cleared, but only as far as Curtis Jones. He plays the ball back to Robertson, who wins another corner for Liverpool. There’s a VAR check for a Jensen foul on Jota. The pair were grapping and VAR David Coote decides it was six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.
9 min: Conor Bradley gambols along the edge of the Brentford penalty area and tries to catch Mark Flekken by surprise by stroking the ball towards the bottom corner with the outside of his right boot. The Brentford goalkeeper dives to save his effort and is back on his feet quickly to block Diogo Jota’s shot on the follow-up.
7 min: Moments after Darwin Nunez had got the better of Kristoffer Ajer down the right and crossed into a Brentford box in which other Liverpool players were conspicuous by their absence, Neal Maupay picks up a clearance and runs directly at a backpedalling Ibrahima Konate. Brentford’s resident wind-up merchant is eventually dispossessed by Andy Robertson, who had got back to help out his teammate.
6 min: It’s been a very bright start from Brentford, who should at the very least have tested Caoimhin Kelleher by now. Janelt had all the time in the world to pick his spot just now but failed to get near the target.
4 min: Brentford get the ball down the right following a quick throw-in and Christian Norgaard plays a weighted pass for Janelt to chase. Showing no composure whatsoever, the German shoots across the face of goal with an effort that was definitely a shot but looked more like a low cross.
3 min: Now Matheus Jensen sends the ball towards the Liverpool penalty area from the right but his delivery is intercepted by Virgil van Dijk.
2 min: Vitaly Janelt floats a cross from deep towards the far post but Liverpool clear their lines.
Brentford v Liverpool is go ...
1 min: Their players a vision in lilac shirts, shorts and socks, Liverpool get the ball rolling. Their hosts wear the usual Brentford home kit of red and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks. Game on!
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Not long now: The melliflous strains of Hey Jude are blaring out over the Tannoy, which means we don’t have long to go. The teams march out on to the pitch led by Michael Oliver and his team of match officials and kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
Fun fact: Liverpool have not won away at Brentford in the League since March 1938. Admittedly, they have only played Brentford away in the league four times since March 1938 (twice since 1947) but it’s still a fact and a fun one at that.
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Jurgen Klopp: Due in no small part to the sterling work he’s doing at Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso looks to be in the box-seat to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager and it was no surprise that the former Liverpool midfielder’s name cropped up during Klopp’s press conference yesterday.
“The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is a standout in that department,” he said. “Former world-class player, from a coaching family as well which helps a little. He was like a coach already when he was playing. The football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did … it is absolutely exceptional. How quick his team is that well tuned, for the time it’s taken, he’s put his proper stamp on it.”
Thomas Frank: “We are facing the top-of-the-league team, a team in form in many ways,” said the Brentford manager in his pre-match press conference. “They have top players and a top manager. I think Liverpool are the best offensive team in the league because they are very difficult to close down when they are on it. It is going to be a huge challenge, but we are up for it and we believe in ourselves. We believe that we can get a result.”
With this being the last time Frank will stand in an adjacent Premier League technical area to Jurgen Klopp before the Liverpool manager leaves Liverpool, the Dane was asked for his thoughts on management in general and the Liverpool manager’s imminent departure.
“We’re in football because we love the game, we love working with people, trying to create something special, coach a team to play a specific way, create a culture and hopefully both,” he said.
“The highs and lows definitely make you feel alive, so if you want a more consistent life, don’t become a football manager or a head coach. But it is the constant hamster wheel you are doing the same week after week after week, and you need to do it to an excellent level.”
Those teams: Brentford centre-back Ethan Pinnock sits this one out with an ankle injury after 53 consecutive Premier League starts. He’s replaced by Kristoffer Ajer. Frank Onyeka and Yoane Wissa start on the bench following their return from Afcon.
Caoimhin Kelleher is in goal for Liverpool, with Alisson ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Conor Bradley starts in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back. Ibrahima Konate is in for Jarrel Quansah at centre-back, while Mo Salah is on the bench after missing Liverpool’s past eight games.
In terms of milestones, Brentford and Thomas Frank both mark their 100th Premier League outings, while Virgil van Dijk makes his 250th appearance for Liverpool. Diogo Jota is one goal away from getting his name up on the honours board for a century in English football.
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Brentford v Liverpool line-ups
Brentford: Flekken, Collins, Ajer, Mee, Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon, Toney, Maupay.
Subs: Wissa, Jorgensen, Ghoddos, Onyeka, Strakosha, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmolyuk.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Endo, Jones, Jota, Nunez, Diaz.
Subs: Gomez, Salah, Adrian, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, McConnell, Quansah.
Team news is HERE! 📋
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 17, 2024
This is how the Reds line up to take on Brentford ✊ #BRELIV
🐝 Your Bees to take on Liverpool#BRELIV | #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/CFgmevIGD4
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 17, 2024
Today's match officials
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt and Dan Cook
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Tim Wood
Early team news
Brentford welcome Yoane Wissa and Frank Oneyka back from Afcon, but have lost Josh Dasilva to a knee injury that has almost certainly ended his season prematurely. Rico Henry, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey and Kevin Schade remain out.
The main tormentor of Brentford at Anfield in November, Mo Salah has been declared fit after recovering from the hamstring injury that ended his involvement in Afcon, while Joe Gomez is also available after recovering from illness.
Conor Bradley is also back after missing Liverpool’s past two games following the death of his father, Joe. The youngster from Northern Ireland could start in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who suffered a recurrence of a knee injury during Liverpool’s win over
Caoimhin Kelleher is likely to continue in goal for Liverpool, what with Alisson, who missed their last game through illness, now sidelined with a hamstring problem. He joins Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Dominik Szoboszlai and Stefan Bajetic in the treatment room.
Premier League: Brentford v Liverpool
Having played one game more than a Manchester City side that is looming ominously in their rear-view mirror, Liverpool travel to Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium with a two-point lead over the reigning champions at the Premier League summit. They face a Brentford side whose season has been up and down, with some of their performances adversely affected by injuries to key players and the absence through suspension of Ivan Toney for the first five months of the season.
Liverpool ran out comfortable winners of the corresponding fixture at Anfield in November, a game in which the hosts didn’t have it all their own way and were “were stretched and not only by Brentford’s potency on the counterattack” according to Andy Hunter, the Guardian’s man on the Merseyside beat.
Thomas Frank’s side come into this game with their tails up on the back of a 2-0 win against Wolves at Molineux last weekend, while their visitors from Merseyside have won nine of their last 10 games in all competitions. Kick-off in west London is at 12.30pm but we’ll have plenty of team news and build-up in the meantime.
