Ajer answers in two minutes as Andrews’ unbeaten Bees draw at Villa Park
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Daniel Hughes
Two minutes after falling behind at Villa Park, Brentford were level again. Kristoffer Ajer’s equaliser on 79 minutes earned Keith Andrews’ side a 2–2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday and kept them unbeaten six games into the Premier League season.
Yarmoliuk had given the Bees an early lead on ten minutes. It lasted 88 seconds before Nicolas Jackson equalised for Villa. The game swung back and forth from there, and when John McGinn put the hosts ahead on 77 minutes, a first defeat looked likely. Ajer had other ideas.
Andrews had not spoken publicly when this was written, so the reaction will come at the club’s pre-match press conference this week.
The numbers speak for him. Brentford are fourth on ten points: two wins, four draws, twelve goals for and six against. That +6 only Brighton, Arsenal and Manchester City can better.
Sunday made that record look rarer still. Liverpool lost 3–0 at home to City, so only three Premier League clubs remain unbeaten: City, Everton and Brentford.
The draws are the caveat. Four from six is a lot, and at least one or two of those games had wins in them. A cautious view says Brentford are drawing too often. A kinder one says that a team that keeps coming back is building good habits, and those habits tend to produce wins eventually.
The next test arrives at the Gtech on Saturday 17 October (15:00). Liverpool visit after a damaging afternoon at Anfield, where Ryan Gravenberch was sent off and City scored three times in 13 minutes. Andoni Iraola’s side will be stung and keen to respond. They also have selection problems up front, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo injured before Sunday’s game.
Brentford then travel to Hull on 25 October. The Tigers drew 2–2 with Everton on Sunday and have yet to lose at home. Nottingham Forest visit west London on 31 October.
Ajer’s goal was a defender’s goal at a striker’s moment, and the speed of the reply mattered. Villa had barely finished celebrating McGinn’s strike. Brentford’s numbers suggest a side that rarely falls apart under pressure: only six conceded in six games, and twelve scored, the kind of balance that keeps a team in matches. The next step is turning more of those matches into wins, and that starts with a Liverpool side that will arrive bruised.
That is a run of three very different opponents, and Brentford will expect points from all of them.
There is also the matter of momentum. Brentford have not lost a league game all season, and confidence in the dressing room should be high. Andrews will want his players to treat Liverpool’s visit as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Nobody predicted this start in August. Six games in, Andrews has a side that is difficult to beat and capable of scoring against anyone. Liverpool will find that out on Saturday.
Brentford Community Stadium — sponsored as the Gtech Community Stadium — is a compact, modern 17,250-seat ground on Lionel Road in Brentford, West London. It opened in September 2020 as the club’s first purpose-built home after more than a century at Griffin Park. For visiting supporters it is one of the easier Premier League trips: everything is close together, sightlines are generally excellent, and the away allocation sits in a clear corner rather than being scattered around the bowl.
The layout is unusual compared with many older English grounds. The North and South Stands run along the touchlines. The East and West Stands sit behind the goals. The South Stand is the largest, holding about 6,000, with the dugouts, media positions and most hospitality. The North Stand is the only single-tier side, about 3,000 seats, and is the calmer long side, popular with families. The West Stand is the noisy home end, with licensed rail seating for safe standing. The East Stand is split: home blocks to the south and the away section towards the north-east.
Away fans are placed in the northern East Stand and the north-east corner, typically around 1,600 to 2,000 depending on the fixture. Blocks often include the northern East sections and N120. You enter from the railway-bridge side of the East Stand, not through the home gates on Lionel Road South. There is no through-access between the home and away turnstiles, so follow signs and stewards rather than walking the concourse. The view from the away end is behind the east goal: you look straight down the pitch towards the West Stand.
Kew Bridge is the usual rail station, a short walk over the railway and along the approach to the East Stand. Gunnersbury and Brentford stations are workable alternatives. The area around the old Griffin Park pubs is still part of many away days, but match-day streets get busy and some venues are home-oriented, so check your club’s travel notes. The stadium is cashless. Bags are searched and oversized bags are often refused, so travel light. Accessible seating exists in several stands; wheelchair spaces for visitors should be requested through your club in advance.
Facilities inside are modern: covered seating, decent concourses, and two large screens above the North and South roofs. Because the bowl is tight, noise carries well even with a modest away following. Standing in seated areas outside the licensed rail sections can draw steward attention. After the final whistle the exit back over the railway bridge is the cleanest route to Kew Bridge. Give it a few minutes rather than rushing the pinch points.
If you want atmosphere without sitting in the home West Stand, the away corner still feels close to the pitch. If you prefer a side-on view as a neutral or hospitality guest, the South Stand centre is the clearest read of the game. Either way, arrive early enough to find the correct East Stand entrance — once you are in the right block, this is a straightforward, well-run ground.