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LIVERPOOL’S PREMIER LEAGUE title defence already appears in tatters after a damaging 3-2 defeat at Brentford.
Goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago inflicted a fourth straight loss on Arne Slot’s increasingly rattled Reds.
Milos Kerkez pulled one back and Mohamed Salah ended his recent goal drought, but the champions are still in the doldrums with summer signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike quiet again on a tough night for the champions.
Liverpool are now down in seventh, behind Bournemouth, Manchester United and Sunderland among others, and could find themselves seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal by the end of the weekend.
Slot was well aware of Brentford’s threat from long throws, but Liverpool still could not handle them as they fell behind after only five minutes.
Michael Kayode’s delivery was nodded on by Kristoffer Ajer at the near post and Ouattara got ahead of Kerkez to hook the ball home.
Salah’s first chance arrived courtesy of Cody Gakpo’s through-ball, but his touch was heavy and former Reds team-mate Caoimhin Kelleher was out quickly to smother the ball at his feet.
Wirtz should have scored 20 minutes in after Ekitike’s back-heel ricocheted in front of him, but the German screwed his shot wide from 12 yards.
Brentford grew more adventurous and Jordan Henderson, playing against the team he captained to the title for the first time since he left in 2023, almost doubled his current side’s lead with a 20-yard drive which flew inches wide.
Henderson’s midfield partner Mikkel Damsgaard, then went even closer with his curling effort tipped over the crossbar by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The second goal arrived in the 45th minute, just moments after Gakpo had a pretty strong case for a penalty turned down following a challenge from Nathan Collins.
Wirtz lost the ball in midfield and Damsgaard played the perfect defence-splitting pass to Schade, who showed Ibrahima Konate a clean pair of heels before finishing past Mamardashvili.
However, Liverpool grabbed a lifeline in stoppage time when Conor Bradley’s cross was lashed home by fellow full-back Kerkez.
Brentford were unhappy that play had gone on well past the three minutes of added time shown, with boss Keith Andrews angrily kicking a water bottle onto the pitch.
But referee Simon Hooper may well have added some more time on for the interminable delays at every Brentford throw.
After the break Virgil Van Dijk clipped Ouattara on the edge of the box and referee Tim Robinson – on as a sub for Hooper – gave a free-kick.
But a VAR check showed the contact was on the line, a penalty was awarded and Thiago did the rest.
With two minutes remaining Salah grabbed his first goal in seven matches, a sweetly-struck finish after Ajer’s hesitation allowed Dominic Szoboszlai to get in a cross.
But the equaliser would not come, and when a late Liverpool attack was cleared by a wall of red and white it was celebrated almost like a goal by the buoyant Bees.
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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