Our Verdict: Mac Allister Pulls the Strings as Liverpool Battle Back at Brentford

We have seen Alexis Mac Allister produce big performances for Liverpool before, but what he gave against Brentford felt different. Chasing the game after falling behind, the Reds needed someone to grab control of midfield and steady things, and the Argentine did exactly that as Liverpool turned a losing position into a 2-1 win at the Gtech Community Stadium.

A midfielder growing into leadership

There is a reason conversations about extending Mac Allister’s contract keep coming up, and performances like this one explain why. Andoni Iraola has leaned on him as both a holding midfielder and a more advanced playmaker depending on what the game demands, and that flexibility was on full display away from home. He covered every blade of grass, screened the back four, and refused to let Brentford turn the contest into the kind of scrap they wanted.

What stood out most was how calm he looked with the ball at his feet. Brentford tried to rough the game up and force mistakes, but Mac Allister kept finding the right pass, slowing things down when Liverpool needed control and speeding them up when a chance opened. It is the kind of game management you would expect from a far more experienced head.

Alexis Mac Allister Appreciation Post.

Calm and composed on the pitch when we were behind and was heavily involved in our 2 goals. My MOTM.

Samuel (@SamueILFC) October 17, 2026

Turning the game after the break

It was after the interval that his influence really took hold. His partnership with Florian Wirtz began to click, with Mac Allister consistently finding the German in pockets of space that Brentford could not close down. That link-up gave Liverpool’s attack a different shape and was central to how the visitors eventually wrestled the game back under control.

Plenty of credit to go around

None of this is to say Mac Allister did it alone. Victor Munoz was lively down the right and got his reward with the equaliser, Jeremy Jacquet continued his fine start to life on Merseyside with another composed defensive display, and Rio Ngumoha gave Liverpool a real spark after coming off the bench. Virgil van Dijk, as ever, kept things organised at the back when Brentford threatened to make life uncomfortable.

Still, strip away the supporting cast and it was Mac Allister’s control of the game that made the rest possible. Liverpool were tipped for little better than a draw before kickoff, yet they found a way to win precisely because someone in midfield refused to let the contest slip away from them.

The case for a new contract

Games like this are exactly why Liverpool’s hierarchy should not drag their feet on tying Mac Allister down to fresh terms. Performances of this calibre, delivered on a tricky away afternoon against a side set up to make life difficult, are not easily replaced. If this is the level he is now operating at consistently, Liverpool have one of the most undervalued midfielders in the league on their hands.