True beauty lies in simplicity.
The number bods have convinced us that football is a complex game, human chess, all data and algorithms.
Brentford's not-so-secret weapon
And then Michael Kayode grabs a towel and a ball, leans against an LED advertising hoarding, and arcs his back slightly.
A pause. An inhale. A little extra force through the legs and into the greenest of grass.
Dango Ouattara finishes off a signature Brentford long throw to put them ahead against Liverpool ⚡️Keith Andrews enjoyed that one!@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/f5YTo61dlfOctober 25, 2025
A split-second later, Kayode is hurtling a carefully aimed missile towards a penalty-boxed teammate.
A blink further on and a Kristoffer Ajer flick falls nicely for Dango Ouattara to give Brentford the lead against the champions. It is an advantage they do not surrender.
It is Liverpool’s fourth consecutive Premier League defeat. “Sacked in the morning,” sing the home fans at Arne Slot once Igor Thiago scores a third later in the game.
Advantage Arsenal? Certainly. Question marks over Slot? Probably. Maybe he did just inherit a team destined for the title, whoever was picking the XI?
Liverpool knew Kayode’s aerial bombardments were coming. “It’s the only thing we did yesterday [in preparation] on the training pitch,” an exasperated Slot told the written media afterwards, “and in the team meeting today.” But prior knowledge does not always mean a solution.
When Kayode winds up there is a genuine sense of anticipation, a stoppage in time. Unless, that is, you or your team are tasked with defending against his throws.
Opposition must be mindful, though. Should they retreat too far, Kayode is happy to drop short and seek a return ball for a subsequent cross.
Remarkably, Kayode did not discover his aptitude for hurtling inflated leather until he was a teenager. Only having left Juventus’s academy to join Serie D side Gozzano did it become part of his game.
The throws are not something he particularly practices either, certainly not at any great length.
Brentford’s recruitment is highly data-driven. Knowing they cannot hope to match the financial clout of a Liverpool, they have to find other ways.
Set pieces are therefore vital. Keith Andrews oversaw that department and now runs the entire team. Any doubts as to his aptitude before the season started have now surely floated away.
Dead-ball prowess is how Brentford owner Matthew Benham, when involved with Danish side FC Midtjylland, found almost instant success.
That club punch well above their weight, too, and currently top the Europa League table. Could Brentford get to that stage? Do not rule it out.
The set-piece element is not all Brentford look at.
Yes, Kayode has his specialism – he threw the ball 65 metres against Fulham in September – but it is not all he offers.
In Brentford’s win at West Ham last Monday, he created six chances from open play. Against Liverpool, a Player of the Match performance saw Kayode win all 5 of his duels, complete both of his take-ons, reclaim possession seven times, make three clearances, and win two fouls.
That is why Brentford opted to turn a January loan into a permanent transfer from Fiorentina in the summer.
Another poor night for Arne Slot's Liverpool
For Liverpool, this was a dire night.
The noise around Mo Salah is undoubtedly exaggerated. But given his productivity last season, not to mention the public pressure he put the club under to offer him a new, highly lucrative deal, his returns have been poor. Remarkably.
In the first half on Saturday night, his usually impeccable touch deserted him as he failed to control a crisp Cody Gakpo pass in the penalty area. Salah of last year would have opened the scoring.
After the break, he was booked for a frustrated lunge and, late on, cut inside and found his usual spot outside the area, 10 yards or so right of centre.
Right leg planted, left lower limb raised, the trigger was ready to be pulled. Bang.
His shot sailed wide and high. “What a waste of money”, decried Brentford followers. They nearly ate their words, mind, when Salah produced a magic moment to make it 3-2 just before the 90 minutes were up.
However, Brentford clung on in injury time – Caoimhin Kelleher for around 10 seconds at one point, leading to a Liverpool corner being given. Conceding again would have been unjust.
Salah was not the only Liverpool superstar off colour.
Virgil van Dijk, following a VAR check, conceded a second-half penalty. The majority of the rest of his evening was spent bemoaning and berating teammates, all while seeming a little befuddled.
This was not supposed to happen. But it is happening, Frankfurt proving a mere light relief.
Slot felt it was “up there” with the worst performances of his tenure.
He told reporters afterwards: “Teams have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play, and we haven’t found an answer yet, and every time going 1-0 down doesn’t really help as well after five minutes.”
Liverpool got what they deserved, perhaps even a little more. It feels a tad unfair to Brentford that they conceded two goals, particularly given the first seemed to come beyond the allotted three minutes of first-half added time.
Simon Hooper concluded the 45 minutes immediately after the restart, and the cheer that greeted the news that a hamstring tweak meant he was replaced by Tim Robinson at the break was telling.
Still, this Brentford side have far too much about them to be derailed by a minor thing like letting in a goal.
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