@ninetyninespecial: The Premier League's middlemen are the clubs that never get relegated, never win the league, and quietly take points off everyone in between. Liverpool have now beaten two of the three, and the third is waiting at Anfield on Sunday. Bournemouth came first. Alexander Isak scored the only goal of a 1-0 win, and it came on Andoni Iraola's return to the club he built. Yesterday it was Brentford, a 2-1 comeback at the Gtech. Keane Lewis-Potter put Brentford ahead, then Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off for a headbutting action on Jérémy Jacquet just before half-time. Víctor Muñoz equalised, Isak scored the winner, and Brentford finished with nine men after Vitaly Janelt's second yellow. Brighton are a different test. After five games they sat third, with 16 goals scored and five conceded. They are the side that ended Arsenal's perfect start with a 3-0 win, and they knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 win. Brighton also won the most recent meeting with Liverpool, at the Amex in March. There's a subplot too, because Liverpool were reportedly interested in Yankuba Minteh in the summer, and an opening bid of around £50m was turned away. Here's my take. Beating the middlemen is a better test of title credentials than most big-game results, because these are the games contenders drop points in. But Liverpool's two wins so far carry a small asterisk. Bournemouth was a narrow 1-0, and the Brentford win only turned after a red card. Brighton have the sharpest attack of the three, and Liverpool play Villarreal first on Tuesday. Szoboszlai also came off after 32 minutes yesterday, and Frimpong limped off too. If Liverpool beat Brighton at full strength with a full week of rotation, that tells us more than the first two wins did. So here's the real question. Do Liverpool complete the set against Brighton, or does Hürzeler's side take down another giant? LET'S DISCUSS Follow 99 Special for the real football talk #PremierLeague #Liverpool #Brighton #99special

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Sunday 18 October 2026 20:02:53 GMT