Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool suffered their fourth consecutive league defeat on Saturday, losing 3-2 away to Brentford. The loss continues a concerning run of form for Arne Slot’s side, who fell behind early and failed to mount a sustained comeback against an energetic Brentford team.
Brentford took the lead just five minutes in when Dango Ouattara volleyed home following a Michael Kayode long throw that Kristoffer Ajer flicked on. The hosts doubled their advantage just before halftime when Kevin Schade finished coolly after being put through by Mikkel Damsgaard on a swift counter-attack. Liverpool found a lifeline deep into first-half stoppage time as Milos Kerkez scored his first goal for the club, slamming in a Conor Bradley cross, though Brentford protested the amount of added time played.
Any hopes of a Liverpool resurgence were dampened after the break. Brentford restored their two-goal cushion on the hour mark when Igor Thiago converted a penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after a VAR review determined Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Ouattara occurred inside the box, overturning the initial free-kick decision. Mohamed Salah pulled another goal back for Liverpool in the 89th minute with a sharp finish off the underside of the bar, but it proved too late. Referee Simon Hooper was replaced by fourth official Tim Robinson for the second half.
Manager Arne Slot expressed deep disappointment, calling the performance the "worst" of the four losses and acknowledging opponents may have found effective strategies. “Teams have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play,” Slot said, “and we haven’t found an answer yet, and that every time going 1-0 down doesn’t really help as well.” He also highlighted the issues with conceding from set pieces and counters.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk called for unity and collective responsibility. “It’s easy to blame a particular person, the backline or set-pieces, but it’s a collective thing in the end. Everyone has to look in the mirror, including myself,” Van Dijk stated. “I am sure we will get out of this, but we won’t do it just by talking about it... We will get out of this because we have the quality offensively and defensively.” Brentford manager Keith Andrews praised his side's resilience, saying the message at half-time was "we don’t take a step back." The win moves Brentford up to 10th, while Liverpool remains sixth.
