Thomas Frank confirms huge Brentford blow - rubs salt in wound of Liverpool romp

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has confirmed that defensive mainstay Ethan Pinnock would be unavailable for the Bees until after the international break with an ankle injury.

Liverpool put four past Brentford with a series of defensive errors meeting the Reds' class to make it an easy afternoon for Jurgen Klopp's men, despite a determined start to the match from the London outfit. Those slip-ups at the back were worsened after the game as Frank confirmed that Pinnock, who had played every minute of the Premier League season before Saturday, would face a spell on the sidelines.

He said: "I believe in the players I put on the pitch, it happens. Of course, Ethan is a top defender and our best central defender for the last many years. Of course, it's a loss but it's up to others to step up. I think Kristoffer [Ajer] did a lot of things right but there are things to learn and improve.

"Ethan got an ankle injury from the last five minutes of the game against Wolves that unfortunately will hold him out until after the international break."

Brentford looked like they could cause an upset against Liverpool as Neal Maupay led a strong start to the match. However, Klopp's side pounced on the counter after Brentford tried to showcase their set play prowess, with Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez combining to put the league leaders in front.

It was fairly plain sailing from there for Liverpool, despite Ivan Toney hitting the back of the net in the second half. Frank said: “I think the boys were brilliant for 35 minutes. We were the best team on the pitch and did so many things right.

“We pressed aggressively, we were great at winning it and going forward. We were very good in the transitions. We caused them problems, but unfortunately against these big teams we have to be almost perfect for 90 minutes and I don’t think we were.”