Sport / Football

Nine men, eight minutes, one comeback: Liverpool turn it around at Brentford

Brentford led, then lost a man before half time, then lost the game in eight second half minutes. Munoz and Isak scored the goals, a second red card ended the argument, and Liverpool move to 12 points.

London, England · October 19, 2026

Liverpool came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, in a match the hosts finished with nine men. Keane Lewis-Potter headed Brentford in front in the 44th minute, and at that point the home side had earned their lead. The match turned within minutes, and it turned on discipline rather than football.

Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off before half time, for a headbutt in NBC Sports' account of the incident, and Brentford's plan changed from defending a lead to surviving an hour a man down. They held out until the 62nd minute, when Victor Munoz levelled, and eight minutes later Alexander Isak put Liverpool ahead. A late red card for Vitaly Janelt, Brentford's second of the afternoon, closed off any route back.

The honest reading splits in two. For Liverpool, this is the kind of away win that good seasons are built from: behind late, against a set defence, settled by the striker they bought for exactly these moments, with Isak's goal the difference. Winning without playing well for long stretches is a habit, not a criticism, at this end of the table.

For Brentford, the frustration is sharper because the performance underneath the result was sound. They led a top side at half time, at home, and lost the match to two dismissals as much as to two goals. Nine men for the closing stretch tells its own story. The points take Liverpool to 12. The lesson travels with Brentford instead, and it is the cheapest one in football: keep eleven on the pitch and this was a result they keep.