Brentford inflict fourth consecutive league defeat on Liverpool

Liverpool’s Premier League title defence continues to crumble after suffering a chaotic 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday.

The Reds were outfought and outmanoeuvred in London, undone by a relentless Brentford side that exploited all their defensive weaknesses.

It took the hosts just five minutes to break through as Michael Kayode’s trademark long throw caused chaos in the box, with Kristoffer Ajer flicking on and Dango Ouattara volleying in from close range.

Liverpool struggled to cope with Brentford’s direct play throughout. Kevin Schade’s pace stretched their backline constantly.

He doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time after racing onto Mikkel Damsgaard’s clever through ball to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The Reds reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time when Milos Kerkez turned in Conor Bradley’s low cross, but it was a fleeting moment of control in an otherwise disjointed display.

Brentford restored their two-goal cushion early in the second half after Virgil van Dijk was judged to have fouled Ouattara on the line of the box. Igor Thiago confidently scored the resulting penalty.

Liverpool poured forward as Slot emptied his bench, switching to an attacking shape with Federico Chiesa and Florian Wirtz flanking Mohamed Salah.

However, their possession rarely turned into pressure, and frustrations deepened as Wirtz again struggled to make an impact.

Salah eventually reduced the deficit with a stunning late strike off the underside of the bar, but it was too little, too late.

The Egyptian’s first Premier League goal since September could not mask another worrying team performance that left the champions’ season unravelling before November.

Arne Slot did not hold back after the match, admitting his side were second best in every area. “We didn’t do the basics right in the first half and parts of the second,” he told TNT Sports.

“They won more duels, more second balls, and if you come here and do that against Brentford, you know what’s coming.”

The Liverpool boss described it as ‘the worst’ of their recent defeats, conceding that his team ‘never looked like getting a result’.

The Reds have now lost as many league games as they did last season, conceding 14 goals in just nine matches.

Slot’s hope of turning a corner rests on rediscovering defensive stability – something Liverpool have not shown for months.