London
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence continued to crumble as they fell 3-2 to Brentford on Saturday, marking their fourth consecutive league defeat and fifth loss in six matches across all competitions. The result leaves the defending champions sixth in the table and potentially seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal by Sunday.
Goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago powered Brentford to a well-deserved win at the Gtech Community Stadium, where their direct, physical approach repeatedly unsettled Liverpool’s shaky back line. The Reds struggled to cope with Michael Kayode’s long throws, one of which led to Ouattara’s opener after Kristoffer Ajer’s flick-on.
Despite Milos Kerkez pulling one back deep into first-half stoppage time, Brentford restored control when a VAR review overturned a free-kick to a penalty after Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Ouattara. Thiago calmly converted from the spot to seal the Bees’ third goal, putting the game beyond Liverpool’s reach.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted frustration at his side’s failure to execute the basics. “You cannot compare all of them, but the most concerning thing is losing four times in a row,” he said. “Today was the worst performance of the four.”
Mohamed Salah ended his six-game goal drought with a stunning late strike in the 89th minute, but the goal proved only consolation as Brentford’s determined defence, led by Sepp van den Berg, held firm.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews praised his team’s growing confidence, calling the victory over the champions “a pretty special evening.”
For Liverpool, the defeat underscores a worrying decline amid an expensive squad rebuild and emotional turbulence following the tragic loss of forward Diogo Jota earlier this year.