Brentford vs Liverpool stats deep dive what numbers reveal

How I tackled that Brentford vs Liverpool stats mess

Okay, kicked things off this morning. Saw everyone buzzing about Brentford somehow beating Liverpool. Headline stuff. Thought, “Right, let’s really see what the numbers whisper, not just what everyone shouts.”

Opened up the laptop, yawned (morning coffee hadn’t kicked in yet). First stop: found that Premier League stats page everyone uses. You know the one. Clicked through to the match centre section for this game. Big mistake. Instantly drowned.

• Possession: 37% vs 63%. Expected, Liverpool usually hog the ball.
• Shots: Brentford 11, Liverpool 15. Okay, Liverpool had more tries, but… goals count, right?
• Corners: Like, 4 vs 12? Who even tracks this properly when flipping through pages?
• Pass completion: Scrolled past that mess super fast. Too many numbers.

Felt totally stuck. Where’s the good stuff? Where’s the juice? This surface-level junk tells me nothing surprising. Liverpool had the ball, Brentford defended? Groundbreaking. Nearly fell asleep on the keyboard.

Remembered that other stats site. The slightly nerdier one that breaks things down differently. Pulled that up. This looked more promising. Started digging specifically for attacking actions inside the box. Found a filter buried deep. Applied it.

Now it popped: Brentford had a crazy 14 touches inside Liverpool’s box. Liverpool? Only managed about 8. That… that felt like a clue. Brentford weren’t just parking the bus. They were actually getting in there.

Next hunt: shots on target location. Scrolled some more. Found it. Brentford’s shots weren’t hopeful punts from way out. Most were inside the 18-yard box, decent angles. Liverpool’s? Many from outside or tough angles. Suddenly that shot count difference seemed less important.

Then, the big “Aha!” moment I almost missed: Duels won. Clicked a weird sub-tab labelled “Defensive Stats & Duels”. Brentford were monsters in the air! Won something like 70% of their aerial duels. Against Virgil freaking van Dijk! Liverpool’s giant defenders? Totally outmuscled. Brentford wanted those long balls and crosses way more.

Then it clicked: Forgot the pretty passing diagrams. This game wasn’t about intricate moves. It was a brawl. A fight for every single long pass and hopeful cross. Brentford won the fight where it mattered – right in front of their goal and deep in Liverpool’s box. Their goals? Classic scrappy box goals off headers and knockdowns. Numbers showed the guts and grit, not the fancy feet.

Slapped the numbers together into my notes. Made a total mess of the colours on my little chart, nearly showed Liverpool winning the air. Fixed it last minute. Almost forgot to save the stupid spreadsheet file. Coffee saved the day. Final take? The stats screamed one loud thing: Brentford outfought Liverpool where it hurt most. Simple as that. Stats aren’t always complicated; sometimes they just show who wanted it more in the trenches.