Liverpool fought back to secure a 2-1 victory over Brentford in west London on Saturday, recovering from a first-half setback to claim three valuable Premier League points.
Brentford stunned the visitors in the 44th minute when defender Keane Lewis-Potter rose to meet Igor Thiago’s cross and sent a looping header beyond Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time after Yehor Yarmolyuk’s head made contact with Jeremy Jacquet’s face as the players waited for a corner.
Despite losing Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong to injuries, Liverpool capitalised on their numerical advantage in the 62nd minute. Victor Munoz cut inside before calmly slotting the ball past Brentford’s former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to restore parity.
Alexander Isak completed the turnaround eight minutes later, blasting home after being set up by Barcola to register his fifth goal of the season.
Brentford’s afternoon deteriorated further in stoppage time when Vitaly Janelt received a second yellow card, leaving the hosts with nine men.
The victory lifted Liverpool to fifth place in the standings and handed Brentford their first league defeat of the season.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland scored twice as Premier League leaders Manchester City edged Ipswich Town 3-2 to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.
City have won their opening seven league matches despite the turmoil surrounding a verdict finding them guilty of more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
The club, which has appealed the verdict after describing the case as a “Premier League conspiracy”, sits six points clear of defending champions Arsenal. Second-placed Arsenal can reduce the gap with a victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Pedro Neto scored twice as Chelsea defeated Everton 2-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, handing the hosts their first defeat of the season.
Neto opened the scoring just after half-time and sealed the victory in stoppage time, securing all three points for fourth-placed Chelsea.
However, the match was overshadowed by a frightening head collision involving Neto and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. The Chelsea forward was taken to hospital following the incident.
Fulham also recorded their first league victory of the season, edging Hull City 1-0 at Craven Cottage courtesy of Alex Iwobi’s 33rd-minute strike.
The win lifted Fulham out of the relegation zone, despite Ryan Sessegnon being sent off in the closing minutes for a reckless challenge on Robinio Vaz.
AFP
