Brentford condemn Liverpool to fourth straight Premier League loss

With a 3-2 defeat at Brentford, champions Liverpool ended their miserable run of form in London for the fourth time in a row in the Premier League.

After five minutes, Arne Slot’s stumbling side lost ground when Dango Ouattara headed in following a long throw and Kevin Schade made it 2-0.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

In stoppage time, Milos Kerkez scored his first goal for Liverpool from Conor Bradley’s cross.

However, the anticipated second-half siege by Liverpool was a failure, and on the hour mark, Igor Thiago restored Brentford’s two-goal lead from the penalty spot.

Liverpool had already come away with a late goal thanks to Mohamed Salah’s clinical finish in the 89th minute.

Liverpool have lost four straight league games, three of which were played in London after defeats at Chelsea and Crystal Palace, for the first time since 2021.

On 15 points, they are currently sixth in the table, four points clear of leaders Arsenal, who could increase that lead when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.

In a two-game win, Brentford moved up to 10th place, two points clear of Liverpool.

Fans at Brentford make fun of Sloth, the manager of Liverpool

The home fans’ chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” made a point, but the impression that Liverpool’s title defense was dying was palpable.

They frequently lacked confidence in Brentford and appeared fragile at the back. Despite scoring a fine late goal to end a more than a month-long run without a goal in the Premier League, questions about Salah’s lack of impact will continue.

On a chilly night in southwest London, Slot’s side was caught cold by Brentford’s threat from long throws, which couldn’t have escaped Slot’s attention.

When Kristoffer Ajer flicked his long delivery into the box, Ouattara brilliantly reacted by volleying past Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool chances, but they struggled to win them over and were undone as halftime approached. Schade was able to escape after Mikkel Damsgaard’s excellent long pass from Mamardashvili.

Despite fierce Brentford protests about an infringement, Kerkez fired home from close range in stoppage time.

After a lengthy VAR check, referee Tim Robinson awarded a spot-kick to Brentford, who had earned a penalty when Virgil van Dijk clipped Ouattara’s foot on the edge of the area. Thiago coolly slotted his shot down the middle.