Brilliant Bees beat Liverpool without Toney
Brentford carved out a tremendous victory over Liverpool to move up to seventh in the Premier League table.
Thomas Frank’s side earned all three points courtesy of an own goal from Ibrahima Konate, a fine header by Yoane Wissa, and a clincher from Bryan Mbeumo after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had pulled one back for the Reds.
Liverpool missed a great chance to go ahead on seven minutes when Darwin Nunez saw his effort cleared off the line by Ben Mee when the Uruguyan had eluded Bees keeper David Raya.
Brentford, who were without injured talisman Ivan Toney, almost went ahead when Mbeumo was denied on the counter-attack by a superb save from keeper Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
The Bees, nevertheless, only had to wait a minute before they went ahead from the resulting corner by Mbeumo. Amid a congested six-yard area, and challenged by Mee, defender Konate could only nudge the ball into his own net.
Although Liverpool looked erratic across an edgy first period, Raya made a tremendous save from an unmarked Konstantinos Tsimikas, with Wissa having a scrambled goal disallowed by VAR at the other end seconds later.
However, four minutes from half-time, forward Wissa doubled Brentford’s lead, when his close-range header from Mathias Jensen’s cross was adjudged to have crossed the line despite Alisson’s best efforts to scramble the ball clear.
Nunez had a goal disallowed by VAR due to offside as Liverpool began the second half strongly.
And Jurgen Klopp’s men pulled a goal back in the 50th minute when Oxlade-Chamberlain headed powerfully past Raya from an inswinging cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Merseysiders had plenty of subsequent possession but Brentford remained resilient, before sealing victory with six minutes left.
Christian Norgaard’s raking pass found Mbeumo, who dispossessed Konate before calmly sweeping the ball under the exposed Alisson.
Brentford: Raya, Henry (Sorensen 90), Pinnock, Mee, Roerslev, Norgaard, Jensen (Dasilva 73), Mbeumo (Canos 88), Janelt (Ghoddos 88), Zanka, Wissa (Lewis-Potter 73)
