Liverpool came from behind to beat nine-man Brentford 2-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium, with second-half goals from Victor Munoz and Alexander Isak securing all three points.
Dramatic First Half and VAR Decisions
Keane Lewis-Potter fired Brentford in front after Liverpool thought they had been awarded a penalty. John Brooks initially pointed to the spot after Dango Ouattara's challenge on Alexis Mac Allister, but replays showed the only contact was with the ball, prompting Brooks to overturn his decision on the recommendation of video assistant referee Darren England.
Brentford made the most of their reprieve, as Lewis-Potter put the hosts 1-0 up after Mac Allister lost possession inside his own half. The ball ended up at the feet of Igor Thiago, whose cross was perfectly converted by Lewis-Potter.
Red Cards and Iraola's Bold Change
Brentford were reduced to 10 when Yehor Yarmolyuk was deemed to have headbutted Jeremy Jacquet at a corner. England spotted the incident and Brooks had no choice but to show Yarmolyuk a red card. No penalty was awarded because the ball wasn't in play at the time.
Jeremie Frimpong, brought on as a half-time substitute, had to come off just seven minutes after his introduction with an injury. Iraola then made a bold attacking substitution, bringing on Rio Ngumoha, which forced Munoz to right-back but didn't stop the Spaniard bombing forward.
Munoz and Isak Seal the Win
Munoz opened the scoring with a brilliant solo goal, chopping inside and producing a curled finish from inside the 18-yard box to draw Liverpool level. Mac Allister then picked out Bradley Barcola at the far post, and although his header wasn't ideal, Alexander Isak showed superb striker play to take the ball away from his man and slot past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Gomez eventually came on to help the Reds over the line, a task made easier by Vitaly Janelt's second yellow card for a foul on Barcola in stoppage time.
Dominik Szoboszlai's return from injury was short-lived, as the 25-year-old went down off the ball in what appeared to be an aggravation of his prior injury after only 32 minutes.
