Liverpool’s Premier League troubles worsened on Saturday as the defending champions suffered a 3–2 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium their fourth consecutive league loss.
Goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade, and Igor Thiago earned the Bees a deserved win, lifting them to 10th place on the table, while Liverpool slipped to sixth four points behind leaders Arsenal, having played a game more.
Brentford struck within five minutes, capitalizing on Liverpool’s defensive lapses when Ouattara tapped in from close range after a flick-on. Just before halftime, Mikkel Damsgaard’s precise through ball released Schade, who sprinted from his own half to slot past Giorgio Mamardashvili and double the lead.
Liverpool pulled one back in stoppage time through Milos Kerkez, whose 50th-minute strike drew controversy as only three minutes of added time had been indicated. Referee Simon Hooper, who picked up a hamstring injury, was replaced at halftime by Tim Robinson.
The hosts restored their two-goal cushion when VAR upgraded a free-kick to a penalty after Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Ouattara was ruled to have occurred on the line. Thiago calmly converted from the spot.
Mohamed Salah fired in a brilliant late goal to make it 3–2, but the effort proved too little, too late.
Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot, conceded afterward that while he anticipated “some inconsistency” following a summer of major signings, he did not expect such a poor run. His downward hand gesture during the press conference perfectly illustrated Liverpool’s current form.
The defeat marks the first time since the 1993–94 season that Liverpool have lost four of their opening nine league fixtures a campaign that ended with an eighth-place finish.
