Liverpool hope to reignite their domestic form and rebuild their lead atop the Premier League as the Reds visit Brentford on Saturday.
A draw with surprise contenders Nottingham Forest saw their lead at the head of the standings fall to just four points, although they still hold a game in hand on second-placed Arsenal and Forest behind them.
The Reds have dropped points in two straight league matches, the other being a draw with Manchester United. Add their defeat to Spurs in the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg, and recent results have begun to worry supporters at least a little about the club’s viability for silverware in both league and European competition.
STREAM: Watch the Brentford vs. Liverpool match LIVE on Peacock in USA
Brentford, meanwhile, have fallen to 11th in the table thanks to their own run of negative results, but the Bees could potentially be turning a corner. After crashing out of the FA Cup to lower-league side Plymouth Argyle, Thomas Frank’s team engineered a stunning late comeback to erase a 2-0 deficit against Manchester City and snatch a point.
Whether Frank can lean on that momentum in a third straight home game against the current league leaders, however, will be another task entirely.
The Sporting News is following the Brentford vs. Liverpool match live, providing score updates, commentary.
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Brentford vs. Liverpool score
| Score (HT) | Goal scorers | |
| Brentford | 0 | – |
| Liverpool | 0 | – |
Location: Gtech Community Stadium (Brentford, England)
Referee: Andy Madley
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Starting lineups:
Brentford (4-3-3, right to left): Flekken (GK) — Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter — Norgaard, Janelt, Yarmolyuk — Mbeumo, Wissa, Damsgaard.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas — Gravenberch, Mac Allister — Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo — Diaz.
Brentford vs. Liverpool live updates, highlights from Premier League match
HALFTIME: Brentford 0-0 Liverpool
A scintillating first half comes to an end with no breakthrough as the teams are level after the opening 45 minutes.
That half had everything but a goal, with lots of goal mouth action, good saves, great tackles, physicality, yellow cards, and even a few touchline sparks. It was frustrating for Liverpool, but Brentford will also rue a few big missed opportunities early on.
43rd min: Dominic Szoboszlai is the second Liverpool player booked in this half for hauling down Janelt. Liverpool have begun to show signs of frustration that, from their point of view, Brentford have been able to get away with similar physicality.
The Tsimikas yellow earlier in the match was blatant, but this one’s a bit more of a judgement call.
41st min: It appears at first that Nathan Collins had hurt himself stretching for the ball, as he grabbed his groin and pointed immediately to the Brentford bench, seemingly to indicate he needed a replacement. Yet eventually he’s able to continue, and he remains on for now.
39th min: Chance, Liverpool! HOW HAS CODY GAKPO NOT SCORED!?! Off a Brentford half-chance, Liverpool counter and get Gakpo all alone at the far post, but Mark Flekken comes off his line and puts the Dutchman off, deflecting his shot which dies along the face of goal! He had to score there!
35th min: Chance, Liverpool! A VICIOUS hit from Dominic Szoboszlai smashes the crossbar from about 22 yards out! WHAT a smash, it’s so unlucky not to find the back of the net!
31st min: Brentford have conceded a ton of corners to Liverpool, already their sixth now for the Reds, but they’ve managed to defend them very well.
There’s a slight disagreement on the touchline between the two managers, but instead of creating a flashpoint, the two have a laugh and shake hands. Agree to disagree!
18th min: Chance, Liverpool! Mark Flekken denies fellow Dutch international Ryan Gravenberch with an absolutely sensational diving save! He goes full-stretch to his right to palm the ball away after Gravenberch had rifled an effort on goal from outside the top of the penalty area!
11th min: Chance, Brentford! Bryan Mbeumo curls a shot into the hands of Alisson! It’s a disappointing effort from the Brentford man after finding space outside the top-right corner of the penalty area.
10th min: An absolutely exceptional tackle by Virgil van Dijk takes the ball off Bryan Mbeumo who was in full transition breaking into the attacking third. Brentford have been absolutely vicious on the counter, and Liverpool have barely managed to stay alive.
8th min: Kostas Tsimikas absorbs an early booking as he grabs the shirt of Bryan Mbeumo to prevent a Brentford counter down the right flank. It’ll be a tightrope for Tsimikas to walk, and likely means we’ll see Andy Robertson at some point to protect the Liverpool right-back.
5th min: Chance, Brentford! A HUGE EARLY OPPORTUNITY! Bryan Mbeumo does brilliantly down the right and feeds Mads Roerslev on the overlap, whose fizzing cross evades Allison along the face of goal, but Mikkel Damsgaard somehow whiffs at the far post, only need to tap it in! How has he missed???
It seems like maybe Damsgaard was expecting someone else to get a touch and didn’t realize it would make it through, but it’s no excuse!
Kickoff: They’re under way at Gtech Community Stadium! Can the Reds keep their distance at the top of the table, or will they go a third league game in a row without a win?
Brentford vs. Liverpool: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: With the match about to kick off, another look at today’s venue, Gtech Community Stadium, before it began to fill with fans!
Today’s venue📍#BRELIV pic.twitter.com/cAV5SLSL8w
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 18, 2025
45 mins to kickoff: Since their opponents also wear red, Liverpool will go with their road kits today.
A look inside our dressing room 👀 #BRELIV pic.twitter.com/u3Wq58TgbS
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 18, 2025
1 hour to kickoff: Brentford’s lineup shows that Thomas Frank has decided to continue with Keane Lewis-Potter at left-back having moved him from his natural position at left wing. Yegor Yarmolyuk comes into the midfield for just his sixth start this season, while former Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg indeed starts against his former club.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The Liverpool lineup is in a bit early, and there’s some surprises. Diogo Jota has been pushing for a starting spot but felt some discomfort against Nottingham Forest and only makes the bench, with Luis Diaz deployed at the No. 9 position again.
Ibrahima Konate remains at center-back, but Andy Robertson is replaced by Kostas Tsimikas at left-back.
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Liverpool monitored Brentford forward Yoane Wissa while in France, where he played for Lorient. According to former Liverpool director of research Dr. Ian Graham in his book ‘How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution,’ the Reds closely monitored his progress.
“Yoane Wissa had been brilliant in Ligue 2 then in Ligue 1 for years – in 2012 he would have been on Liverpool’s shortlist but when he moved to Brentford, we had the luxury of shopping in more expensive markets.”
He’s already hit them hard, scoring a brace against the Reds in a 3-3 draw early in the 2021/22 season before striking again in the 3-1 Brentford win two years ago.
Understand Brentford have no plans to sell Yoane Wissa this month.
Wissa in tremendous form with 11 Premier League goals and two assists this season.🐝
🤝 @alex_crook @talkSPORT pic.twitter.com/uBNouf9ssn
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 16, 2025
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Two former Liverpool players are having very different first seasons at Brentford. Defender Sepp van den Berg has been excellent for the Bees, having barely featured for the Reds in his five years at the club while being shipped off to various locations on loan. He was finally offloaded permanently last summer and has made 17 starts at center-back, a main player for a good mid-table Premier League side.
Fabio Carvalho, however, has found life extremely difficult. The Fulham youth product was sold for €23 million in the summer but has earned just three starts, making 13 appearances off the bench and scoring just one goal. Two contrasting fortunes by two players each making the switch this past offseason.
🔴 Given #LFC‘s defensive injuries and ongoing uncertainty regarding Virgil van Dijk’s future, it wouldn’t have been the worst idea to keep Sepp van den Berg.
But enduring different fortunes at Brentford, Liverpool won’t regret selling Fabio Carvalho.
🔗 https://t.co/MxspvtRyf6 pic.twitter.com/k3xDnSw4Xo
— Theo Squires (@TheoSquiresECHO) January 18, 2025
2 hours to kickoff: One thing Liverpool will need to keep in mind is that not only are Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa amongst the Premier League goal-scoring leaders, but they are both making the most of a slim number of chances.
Both players rank amongst the league’s top three individuals for fewest shots per goal amongst players with four or more goals, with only Chris Wood surpassing them each.
Additionally, Mbeumo is having an outlandish season in front of net from a finishing perspective, as his 13 goals on just 6.25 xG give him the largest positive differential of any Premier League player this season. If he gets even one halfway decent look on frame, it could be trouble for any opponent.
6.75 – Brentford’s Bryan Mbuemo has scored 13 league goals from an xG of just 6.25, giving him an overperformance of 6.75, the biggest of any player across Europe’s big 5 leagues. Efficient. pic.twitter.com/BOLEqoW9mE
— OptaPlay (@OptaPlay) January 14, 2025
Brentford vs. Liverpool kickoff time
This Premier League match kicks off from Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, January 18 at 3 p.m. local time in Brentford, England. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Sat, Jan. 18 | 10 a.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Sat, Jan. 18 | 7 a.m. PT |
| UK | Sat, Jan. 18 | 3 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Sun, Jan. 19 | 2 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Sat, Jan. 18 | 7:30 p.m. IST |
Brentford vs. Liverpool lineups, team news
Aaron Hickey, Kristoffer Ajer, Ethan Pinnock and Josh Dasilva are among the absentees for Thomas Frank’s side.
Former Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg lines up against his former club, while Rico Henry must wait for his first start of the season, having finally made it back from a years-long knee issue for a sub appearance vs. Man City.
Frank had a decision to make whether to retain Keane Lewis-Potter at left-back, where he played against City, or to play the 23-year-old in a more familiar attacking role. He has chosen the former, with Yegor Yarmolyuk comes off the bench to earn a starting spot in midfield.
Brentford confirmed starting lineup (4-3-3): Flekken (GK) — Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter — Norgaard, Janelt, Yarmolyuk — Mbeumo, Wissa, Damsgaard.
Brentford subs (9): Valdimarsson (GK), Mee, Kim, Henry, Jensen, Konak, Maghoma, Carvalho, Schade.
Darwin Nunez is back from from suspension for Liverpool, and Diogo Jota is pushing for a starting time, but neither can displace Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz in Arne Slot’s front three. Jota misses out on the XI after feeling discomfort against Nottingham Forest, confirmed by Arne Slot on Friday.
Joe Gomez is out injured, but fellow defender Ibrahima Konate isn’t rested for this one after admitting he rushed back from injury when not being fully fit.
Kostas Tsimikas impressed after replacing Andy Robertson at the City Ground and has earned spot start for the out-of-form regular, while Dominic Szoboszlai comes in for Curtis Jones.
Liverpool confirmed starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas — Gravenberch, Mac Allister — Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo — Diaz.
Liverpool subs (9): Kelleher (GK), Robertson, Bradley, Quansah, Endo, Jones, Elliott, Chiesa, Nunez.
Brentford vs. Liverpool live stream, TV channel
The game won’t be screened live on TV for UK audiences due to the Saturday 3pm blackout but will be available to watch around the world.
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| India | — | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| UK | — | — |
| USA | — | Peacock |
