Liverpool left west London with three points, a comeback to celebrate and fresh evidence of the attacking options available to Andoni Iraola. They also left with questions about their control of matches, their ability to turn dominance into clear chances and the physical condition of two important players.

The 2-1 victory over Brentford was a game of extremes. Liverpool were wasteful before the interval, fell behind to Keane Lewis-Potter’s header and lost Dominik Szoboszlai to injury. Jeremie Frimpong then lasted only a few minutes after coming on at half-time, while Brentford’s Yehor Yarmoliuk was dismissed for violent conduct in first-half stoppage time.

Liverpool eventually made their numerical advantage count. Víctor Muñoz equalised, Alexander Isak scored the winner and Vitaly Janelt was sent off for a second bookable offence late on. Yet the final scoreline does not tell the whole story of how Liverpool won, or what the performance revealed about Iraola’s team.

There was resilience, individual quality and an encouraging contribution from the bench. There was also a period in which Liverpool struggled to impose themselves against an organised opponent, even after the balance of the game had shifted decisively in their favour.

Brentford had offered Liverpool a difficult afternoon before Yarmoliuk’s dismissal. The home side were competitive in the duels, capable of moving forward quickly and willing to exploit the spaces left by Liverpool’s attempts to establish control.

Liverpool had opportunities of their own. Bradley Barcola squandered a promising chance after capitalising on a Brentford mistake, while the visitors struggled to turn possession into a sustained flow of clear openings. A penalty awarded after Alexis Mac Allister went down under Dango Ouattara’s challenge was overturned following a VAR review, with the defender judged to have played the ball.

Brentford then took the lead through Lewis-Potter, whose header from Igor Thiago’s delivery punished Liverpool at a moment when they needed greater control of the contest.

The dismissal that followed transformed the tactical picture. Yarmoliuk was sent off after thrusting his head towards Jérémy Jacquet during the jostling before a corner. Brentford had to defend the entire second half with ten players, protecting a lead against a Liverpool side with more possession and attacking options.

That did not automatically make the task straightforward for Iraola. A team defending with ten can compress the space around its penalty area, sacrifice territory and force the opposition to find a way through a crowded defensive block. Liverpool needed patience, movement and better use of the spaces available on the outside.

The challenge was no longer simply to create more pressure. It was to turn that pressure into chances of sufficient quality to change the score.

Iraola’s half-time response was an attempt to give Liverpool greater attacking presence. Frimpong replaced Ronald Araújo, who had started at right-back, but his introduction was curtailed by injury after only a handful of minutes. Rio Ngumoha came on instead, giving Liverpool a different profile on that side.

Ngumoha’s arrival proved important. Rather than merely providing another body in the attacking line, he brought directness and a willingness to attack his opponent. His movement helped Liverpool stretch a Brentford defence that was increasingly occupied with protecting the centre.

The equaliser illustrated the value of that approach. Liverpool found Muñoz in space on the right, and Wirtz supplied the pass that allowed the Spaniard to carry the ball into the penalty area, cut inside and finish. It was a composed piece of attacking play in a situation where Liverpool had previously lacked the incision to break through.

Eight minutes later, the visitors had turned the match around. Mac Allister delivered towards the far post, Barcola nodded the ball back into a dangerous area and Isak controlled before finishing emphatically.

The two goals were different in their execution but connected in their purpose. Liverpool used the width of the pitch to stretch Brentford, then found the quality to exploit the space that emerged. Muñoz provided the individual invention for the first goal; the second depended on the movement and technical ability of three expensive attacking signings.

For Iraola, that is an encouraging combination. Liverpool do not have to rely on one route to goal when their forwards can threaten in different ways. The problem is making those combinations sufficiently regular, particularly when opponents are able to defend with their full complement of players.

Ngumoha’s contribution deserves attention beyond the circumstances of his introduction. He entered a game in which Liverpool needed urgency, having already lost Szoboszlai and Frimpong, and gave the side another outlet capable of carrying the ball at speed.

His willingness to take on defenders changed the feel of Liverpool’s attacking play. Instead of allowing Brentford to settle entirely into their defensive shape, he offered a threat that demanded attention and created opportunities for Liverpool to move the ball into more dangerous areas.

That influence was particularly clear late on, when Ngumoha’s run drew the foul from Janelt that resulted in Brentford’s second red card. The dismissal removed much of the remaining uncertainty over the result, but it also underlined how difficult his directness had become for a tiring opponent to contain.

There is a balance to strike here. A strong substitute appearance does not automatically make Ngumoha the answer to every attacking problem, and the conditions of the game — including Liverpool’s numerical advantage — helped him find space. Nevertheless, his impact gives Iraola another option to consider when Liverpool need to increase the tempo or stretch a compact defence.

It also raises a broader question about Liverpool’s attacking structure. The team’s most dangerous moments came when players were prepared to run at defenders, attack space and combine quickly rather than simply circulate possession around the outside of the block.

That is a useful lesson to take from the afternoon, even if the circumstances were unusual.

Isak’s winner was a reminder of the qualities Liverpool need from their centre-forward. His first touch brought the ball under control in a crowded area, and his finish was executed with the speed and conviction that make him such a dangerous striker.

He had not dominated the match for long stretches, but he did not need to. Liverpool required someone to turn a promising attacking move into a goal, and Isak supplied the decisive action.

His return from injury was particularly welcome given the demands on Liverpool’s forward line. A striker capable of scoring from limited opportunities can make the difference in matches where the collective performance is less convincing than the final result.

Barcola also played a part in the winner, knocking down Mac Allister’s delivery for Isak, but his afternoon was less straightforward. He missed a major opportunity in the first half, struck the crossbar after the turnaround and later failed to make the most of a counter-attacking chance.

The combination of flashes of quality and missed opportunities captured Liverpool’s attacking performance as a whole. There was enough talent to win the game, but not always the composure or efficiency to put it beyond doubt.

Iraola will welcome the fact that different players contributed to the comeback. He will also know Liverpool need to become more clinical, particularly against opponents who do not offer the same numerical advantage.

The three points came at a cost. Szoboszlai was forced off before half-time with what appeared to be a recurrence of his hamstring problem, while Frimpong was unable to continue shortly after his introduction.

Neither situation should be treated as a confirmed diagnosis without further information from the club. But the timing is concerning for a Liverpool side whose attacking and midfield options are already being tested by a demanding schedule.

Szoboszlai’s influence extends beyond his own contributions on the ball. His energy, pressing and ability to carry Liverpool through midfield help the team maintain intensity across different phases of a match. Losing him again would be a significant setback.

Frimpong’s situation is different, but his pace and attacking instincts offer Liverpool another way to stretch opposition defences. The fact that he was forced off so soon after coming on also complicated Iraola’s planned response to Brentford’s reduced numbers.

The manager will need more information before assessing the implications for the coming fixtures. Until then, the victory should not distract from the possibility that Liverpool have emerged with fresh availability problems.

Liverpool’s response to going behind was encouraging. They adapted to Brentford’s defensive shape, found greater width, received a decisive contribution from Muñoz and saw Isak deliver when it mattered. Ngumoha’s impact provided another positive, while Wirtz’s creativity helped unlock the game.

But context matters. Liverpool played the second half against ten men and finished against nine. The comeback was a test of patience and execution, not a complete demonstration of their ability to control a Premier League match under normal conditions.

The opening period exposed the difficulties Liverpool can encounter when an opponent is organised, aggressive and willing to attack the spaces they leave behind. Their wastefulness also ensured that Brentford remained in the contest for longer than the visitors would have wanted.

That does not diminish the value of the win. Good teams must find ways to collect points when performances are uneven, and Liverpool showed they could recover from adversity. Their attacking talent gave them the tools to change the match, while the substitutes helped maintain the pressure when the original plan was disrupted.

The next step is to reproduce that attacking threat without needing a red card to alter the conditions. Liverpool must become more effective at breaking down a full defensive unit, more clinical when opportunities arrive and more secure when opponents counter.

Brentford offered evidence that Iraola has the personnel to change games. It did not prove that every underlying problem has been solved.

For now, Liverpool have the result. The more demanding work is ensuring that the performance becomes a foundation rather than an exception.