Liverpool responded to their first Premier League defeat of the campaign against Manchester City by staging a second-half comeback to defeat Brentford on Saturday. Club-record £116m signing Florian Wirtz was central to the revival as the Reds took advantage of a Brentford side reduced to 10 men prior to the break. Wirtz set up Munoz to spark the fightback—marking the first time he has recorded assists in consecutive fixtures across all competitions for Liverpool—as the visitors generated 14 of their 21 total attempts during the second half.
The 23-year-old German playmaker set a remarkable creative benchmark in west London by fashioning nine chances from open play. That return stands as the highest in a single Premier League match over the past six seasons, equalling Sadio Mane's January 2021 display against Burnley, while making Wirtz the first away player to reach the figure since Samir Nasri in August 2011. Completing 53 of his 65 passes with a match-leading 12 final-third entries, Wirtz moved level with Brighton's Pascal Gross on a league-leading 18 chances created this term. However, he struggled defensively, winning only one of nine duels and surrendering possession 19 times, a total second only to teammate Milos Kerkez (20).
Those underlying defensive issues drew criticism from BBC Sport pundit Danny Murphy, who argued that positioning Wirtz as a number 10 flanked by two wingers leaves the remaining midfielders with too much space to cover, making Liverpool "too easy to play against." Murphy suggested switching to a three-man midfield to prioritize defensive solidity. The tactical debate follows comments from club legend Steven Gerrard, who noted earlier in the week that Wirtz might benefit from being temporarily taken out of the starting lineup to rebuild his confidence, with the playmaker having recorded just two goal involvements across his first seven league matches.
Despite the persistent tactical dilemma, the result propelled Liverpool to fifth in the Premier League table with three wins from seven matches under Andoni Iraola, who took over from Arne Slot in the summer. The victory secured the Reds' first away league triumph after conceding first since December 2023, ending a 19-match winless sequence when falling 1-0 behind on the road. Although striker Alexander Isak returned from injury, Iraola faces fresh fitness concerns following injuries to Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong ahead of Tuesday's Champions League fixture against Villarreal, which forms part of an intense run of four games in 10 days.