Reaction from the Gtech Stadium:
And here’s Jonathan Wilson’s match report:
The updated Premier League table
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 8 | 12 | 19 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 9 | 4 | 17 |
| 3 | Man City | 8 | 11 | 16 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 9 | 1 | 16 |
| 5 | AFC Bournemouth | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 9 | 2 | 15 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 7 | 14 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 9 | 6 | 14 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| 10 | Brentford | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 9 | 1 | 12 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Brighton | 9 | -1 | 12 |
| 14 | Everton | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 15 | Leeds | 9 | -5 | 11 |
| 16 | Fulham | 9 | -5 | 8 |
| 17 | Burnley | 8 | -6 | 7 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 8 | -10 | 5 |
| 19 | West Ham | 9 | -13 | 4 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 8 | -11 | 2 |
Full time: Brentford 3-2 Liverpool
Peep peep! Brentford continue their superb start to the season with a madcap victory over Liverpool, who have now lost four league games in a row. The match was ultimately settled by Igor Thiago’s penalty to make it 3-1 early in the second half, but there’s so much to digest from that game.
Updated
90+11 min Salah moves infield and plays a superb pass to Robertson, whose low cross is cleared crucially by Van den Berg. Moments later Salah volleys off target and then Szoboszlai’s long-range shot is saved by Kelleher!
90+10 min Mamardashvili comes up for the corner, which is headed away.
90+9 min Caoimhin Kelleher takes too long on the ball so the referee gives Liverpool a corner!
90+7 min Janelt wins a corner for Brentford, who are on the cusp of a brilliant victory.
90+6 min: Double substitution for Brentford Frank Onyeka and Rico Henry replace Kristoffer Ajer and Dango Ouattara.
90+4 min Lewis-Potter is booked for something or other.
90+4 min And now play resumes.
90+2 min There’s a VAR check for a Brentford penalty when Thiago is caught by the flailing arm of Van Dijk. It’s cleared pretty quickly but Thiago is still receiving treatment.
90 min: Chance for Brentford! Lewis-Potter’s cross is headed over by the diving Thiago; that was a decent chance as well.
There will be seven minutes of added time.
Szoboszlai nicks the ball on the right wing and crosses towards Salah. He lifts his left leg to breast height to control the ball, then spanks a half-volley past Kelleher with his right foot. Ridiculous finish.
GOAL! Brentford 3-2 Liverpool (Salah 89)
An angry finish from Mo Salah gives Liverpool hope!
Updated
84 min: Chance for Brentford! Lewis-Potter curls a beautiful inswinging cross from the left towards the far post, where Ouattara gets across Konate and flicks a header just wide.
This scoreline doesn’t flatter Brentford at all.
83 min Salah cuts inside from the right, only to shoot miles over the bar. Liverpool bring on Joe Gomez for Florian Wirtz.
82 min Liverpool continue to press but there’s nothing much happening for them. It’s hard to believe they are facing a fourth Premier League defeat on the bounce.
79 min: Brentford substitutions Keane Lewis-Potter and Mathias Jensen replace Kevin Schade and Mikkel Damsgaard, who were both superb and combined for the second goal.
77 min Schade is booked for a high tackle on Konate.
74 min No sign yet of a Liverpool fightback. The game is ragged so it’s not beyond the realms, but right now a goal could come at either end.
72 min “If this game shows anything, it’s that Alexander-Arnold was an awfully big name to replace on the scoresheet,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Without the constant threat of throughballs to Salah from every loose pass in attack, Liverpool’s opponents just don’t allow them the control they had last season.”
70 min: Liverpool substitution Curtis Jones is replaced by Rio Ngumoha.
69 min Liverpool lost only four of their first 43 league games under Arne Slot. They’re now facing their fourth league defeat in a row.
66 min: Chance for Brentford Kayode curls a terrific cross from the right that clears Mac Allister and is headed miles wide by Ouattara. That was a terrific chance to make it 4-1.
64 min: Great defending by Van den Berg! Szoboszlai’s cut-back leads to a scramble in the Brentford area. Mac Allister’s shot is blocked by Collins and Salah’s follow-up is deflected over by Van den Berg.
62 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa replace Milos Kerkez, Conor Bradley and Cody Gakpo.
GOAL! Brentford 3-1 Liverpool (Thiago 60 pen)
Igor Thiago sits Mamardashvili down and passes the ball gently down the middle. My word.
Updated
59 min Nobody had any idea there was a VAR review ongoing but once you give a free-kick (and that’s the debatable part I guess) it was definitely inside the area. Van Dijk did seem to kick Ouattara’s foot..
Updated
Penalty to Brentford!
59 min Van Dijk was penalised for a foul on Ouattara just outside the area – but VAR have judged that it was on the line and therefore inside the area!
Updated
56 min Salah is booked for standing on Schade’s foot just before that Damsgaard effort.
55 min Ouattara heads over after Mamaradashvili only partially deals with a cross from the left.
Moments later, Mamaradashvili flies to his left to claw away Damsgaard’s shot from 20 yards. That’s a really good save.
Updated
54 min: Big chance for Thiago! Schade makes a superb run inside Bradley and crosses low to put Thiago through on goal. His first touch is heavy and his attempted chip is turned round the near post by Mamardashvili. Good save but Thiago will feel he should have done better.
52 min Thiago, on the left side of the area, has a shot from a tight angle that is easily saved by Mamardashvili.
50 min Really good pressing from Brenford to win a throw-in on the left. Schade takes this one and it’s headed away at the near posat.
48 min Simon Hooper has tweaked his hamstring and is now performing the role of fourth official.
46 min No changes on either side as the second half gets under way.
There’s a delay to the start of the second half because of an injury to the referee Simon Hooper. Tim Robinson is going to replace him in that particular hot seat.
Half-time reading
Half time: Brentford 2-1 Liverpool
Brentford lead after an intriguing first half at the Gtech Community Stadium, but the half-time whistle brings a chorus of boos from the home fans who feel they should lead 2-0 rather than 2-1.
Updated
GOAL! Brentford 2-1 Liverpool (Kerkez 45+5)
Liverpool are back in it! Bradley’s low cross was missed by Ekitike at the near post and turned in by Kerkez at the far post.
Brentford aren’t happy because the board said a minimum of three minutes of added time and Liverpool scored in the fifth.
Updated
45+1 min On that penalty appeal just before the goal, Collins certainly didn’t touch the ball. I’m not sure he touched Gakpo either, which is why VAR didn’t intervene. But I’d like to see it again to be sure.
Updated
Mikkel Damsgaard, 15 yards inside his own half, opened Liverpool up with a gorgeous curling pass around Konate to put Schade through on goal. He was too quick for the recovering Konate and sidefooted the ball through Mamaradashvili.
GOAL! Brentford 2-0 Liverpool (Schade 45)
Kevin Schade makes it two on the stroke of half-time!
Updated
44 min More Liverpool pressure. And more. Eventually Jones’ low cross is kicked away on the stretch by Collins.
Moments later Gakpo does down in the area after a challenge from Collins. He wants a penalty; the referee Simon Hooper disagrees and VAR backs him up.
Updated
41 min After a bit of Liverpool pressure, Jones curls straight at Kelleher from the edge of the area.
39 min: Fine save by Mamardashvili
This is Brentford’s best spell. Damsgaard collects a loose ball 25 yards out and curls a booming shot that is clawed over the bar by Mamardashvili; that’s a really good save.
38 min Ouattara, scorer of the only goal so far, sprays a half-volley wide from distance.
37 min “Bill Belichick once said that special teams coach (ie, set pieces) was where the best NFL coaches started because you had to get so deep into the granular details to find advantages,” writes Drew. “Think Keith Andrews is going to bear that out?”
No. But good luck to him if he does; he always came across in his punditry as being extremely intelligent.
36 min Kayode’s booming throw is punched away inelegantly but effectively by Mamardashvili.
36 min Ajer has a speculative shot blocked after a nice move from Brentford on the left. The ball is put out of play for another Kayode special…
34 min “Good evening Rob,” hics Simon McMahon. “I hope you are well, or at least half as well as me. I’m on the whisky, celebrating a come from behind 3-1 victory for Dundee United against St. Mirren at Tannadice today. At half time Dundee, leading at Falkirk, were third in the 12-team league, with United not in the top six, yet at full time it was United in third, with Dundee ending the day in tenth after Falkirk also came from behind to win. What this has to do with Brentford v Liverpool is anyone’s guess, but hey, this is the MBM, right? Anything goes! Salah to Tannadice on loan in January..?!”
33 min Kerkez is booked for pulling back Ouattara.
32 min Henderson is given a lot of space, 25 yards from goal, and rifles a low drive not far wide of the near post. Mamardashvili probably had it covered.
28 min: Brentford substitution Yehor Yarmolyuk has a problem around his hip and is unable to continue. Vitaly Janelt replaces him.
26 min Jones slides a lovely pass down the left to release Kerkez, whose cross goes too close to Kelleher. Liverpool are getting closer.
24 min Gakpo veers infield from the left and shoots over from 25 yards. Brentford are defending well but I’m not sure it’s sustainable for 90 minutes. Liverpool have had all of the ball since the goal.
Updated
22 min Gakpo’s teasing cross is slightly behind Ekitike, who flicks a header well wide of the far post.
21 min “I’m not sure I would have predicted back in August that everyone would be writing ‘Crisis Club Liverpool’ before Halloween had arrived,” says Richard Morris.
Let’s all calm down; there’s a long way to go in this game and the season. If they lost 12-0 I’ll lead the crisis club stuff.
20 min: Chance for Wirtz! Ekitike tries to score with a backheel that is blocked by a defender. The ball rebounds to Wirtz, who spanks wide from 15 yards with his left foot. An instinctive effort, not far off target.
19 min “The Liverpool defence has learned the hard way that it takes two to tango, but only one to Dango!” writes Peter Oh. “I do hope Salah has brought his dancing shoes tonight.”
Updated
17 min Liverpool are starting to apply more pressure, though Brentford look comfortable enough in their low block. It’s an interesting game.
14 min “You win the header,” says Chris Healy. “That’s how you defend a long throw.”
12 min Van den Berg makes a vital interception to stop Wirtz’s pass putting Salah through on goal.
10 min Gakpo cracks a terrific short pass through to Salah, whose slightly heavy touch allows Kelleher to dive at his feet and make a brave save. Salah followed through into Kelleher and immediately checks his old mate is okay.
9 min Plenty of Liverpool possession since the goal, as you’d expect. Salah whips a cross that bounces through to Kelleher.
GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Liverpool (Ouattara 5)
The long throw works a treat this time! Kayode hurls a beast from the left, Ajer heads it across goal and Ouattara hooks a volley past Mamardashvili from five yards. Smart finish, and to be honest I’m not sure how you defend that.
Updated
4 min “Right,” says Matt Dony. “Let’s not dwell on last week. The Eintracht game was a relief more than anything, and hopefully gives the side something to build on. Salah is obviously getting older, but he can’t be this quiet for long, can he? This feels like a good time for him to play a blinder. This is the real quiz.”
Updated
3 min Kayode flings it in, Van Dijk heads away with authority.
2 min Ajer stabs a long pass down the left towards Schade, forcing Mamardashvili to come out of his box to clear. That means the first long throw of the game…
1 min And they’re off!
Brentford’s XI include three former Liverpool players: Jordan Henderson, Caoimhin Kelleher and Sepp van den Berg.
A reminder of the teams
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt
Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Morrison, Ngumoha.
Referee Simon Hooper.
Today's Premier League results
Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham
Manchester United 4-2 Brighton
You can read more on our football home page.
There are a lot of things that can happen when you get older. But if I can select one player who has the ball 12, 13 yards from goal and he should score that to save my life, I would have Mo in that position. Now he needs to show that he can get into those positions.
Before facing his former club, Sepp van den Berg explains why he left Anfield when Arne Slot wanted him to stay and why he is loving life at Brentford
Kenny Dalglish is the subject of a new film directed by Asif Kapadia on the Scot’s remarkable career in football and connection with his adopted city. The great Donald McRae spoke to them.
Team news
Mo Salah returns to Liverpool’s starting XI, one of three changes from the win over Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek. Alexander Isak is injured, so Hugo Ekitike will start up front. The other changes are at full-back: Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley replace Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong.
Brentford are unchanged from that excellent win at West Ham.
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt
Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Morrison, Ngumoha.
Referee Simon Hooper.
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Brentford v Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium. Both teams into this game after emphatic away victories in the week – Brentford at West Ham on Monday, Liverpool in Frankfurt on Wednesday.
Liverpool’s task tonight is to arrest a run of three straight league defeats and reignite their title challenge. A win would move them back to second place, a point behind Arsenal having played a game more. With the way Arsenal are playing, Liverpool won’t want any more slip-ups.
Kick off 8pm.
