Analysis: Impressive front three lead Brentford to Liverpool victory | OneFootball

Brentford have displayed an 'all for one and one for all' attitude under head coach Keith Andrews this season, and their front three led the charge as the Bees beat reigning champions Liverpool 3-2 at Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.

An acrobatic close-range effort from Dango Ouattara, a cool finish on the counter from Kevin Schade and a composed penalty from Igor Thiago inflicted a fourth-straight Premier League defeat on Arne Slot's side.

Goals from Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah kept the visitors in the contest right up until the final whistle, but Brentford took the champions' best shots, and navigated 10 nervy minutes of stoppage-time to move up to 11th in the table.

The victory marked the first time that Brentford's new-look attacking trident of Ouattara, Schade and Thiago had all hit the target in the same game and, going on the torrid evening they gave Virgil van Dijk and co, it will surely not be the last.

The Bees’ forward trio have racked up 11 Premier League goal involvements this term, and Thiago sits joint-second in the scoring charts with six goals – seven in all competitions when you add in his Carabao Cup strike against Bournemouth.

The pace, trickery and penetration of Ouattara and Schade perfectly complement the Brazilian striker's talents, and Saturday's statistics highlighted the bubbling chemistry between them.

After peppering West Ham's goal with a whopping 15 shots between them last Monday, Brentford's exciting forward trio picked up where they left off against the champions. Ouattara (5), Thiago (4) and Schade (1) again hit double figures for shots taken against Liverpool and impressively, half of those were on target.

Last season, Brentford's forward three of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Schade established themselves as one of the most prolific in the top flight, with 50 goals collectively.

Two thirds of that line-up may now have moved on to pastures new, but mainstay Schade's evolution, Thiago's rejuvenation after injury and Ouattara's successful integration mean Brentford are arguably more balanced, yet more unpredictable, in attack this season.

Head coach Andrews stated that "there was something in the air" at the Gtech on Saturday night, and Schade was – literally - head and shoulders above the rest.

The Germany international's outstanding aerial ability can go under the radar, but the 23-year-old won a team-high six aerial duels and he allied physicality with finesse.

Schade recorded five key passes during his 78 minutes, three more than any other player on the park, and that level of creative output suggests he is picking up the departed Mbeumo's mantle.

With Thiago as the target man, Ouattara the livewire and Schade developing a playmaking streak, Brentford’s front three look to have found their groove - and that’s before factoring in Mikkel Damsgaard.

Top of the Premier League for through ball assists last season, Damsgaard’s incisive passing and link play earned him the club’s 2024/25 Player of the Season award - and his first assist of this campaign was a masterpiece.

On the stroke of half-time, Damsgaard threaded an inch-perfect pass inside Liverpool centre-half Ibrahima Konaté to Schade for Brentford's second goal of the afternoon.

The Dane's vision, technique and weight of pass place him in the 'elite' bracket of Premier League creators - and his fierce long-range efforts on Saturday suggest he’s keen to hit the net more often himself.

Already this season, Damsgaard, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmoliuk have showcased their ability to quickly turn defence into attack with incisive long balls and Brentford have now scored four goals on the counter attack in the Premier League this season - the same number as they scored during the entire 2024/25 campaign.

A pulsating victory over the reigning champions is always one to savour, and the way in which Brentford’s new-look frontline clicked against Liverpool suggests it is no longer a work in progress - it’s a weapon with purpose.