A 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt seemed to lift Liverpool spirits, but all hope soon faded as Arne Slot’s side continued their slump in the Premier League.
Visiting Brentford in Matchday 9, the Reds again displayed a weak performance and suffered a 3-2 defeat, marking their fourth consecutive loss in England’s premier competition.
In the 5th minute, Liverpool felt like they had a cold drink thrown at them. From a seemingly harmless throw-in, the visiting defense made a mistake, allowing Dango Ouattara to easily score from close range to open the scoring for Brentford.
This was the sixth consecutive match the Reds had conceded a goal in the first 30 minutes, a figure that clearly reflected their defensive instability.
Although Mohamed Salah returned to the starting lineup after being benched at the European Championship, the Egyptian star’s presence failed to boost Liverpool’s attack.
In the 45th minute, Brentford punished another mistake when Kevin Schade accelerated past Konate and calmly finished past Mamardashvili, doubling the lead to 2-0.
In the most difficult moment of the game, Liverpool unexpectedly scored in first-half injury time thanks to defender Milos Kerkez. This goal gave Arne Slot’s team hope of turning the game around in the second half.
However, all those efforts were dashed when Van Dijk was fouled in the penalty box in the 60th minute. In the 11th minute, Igor Thiago easily beat goalkeeper Mamardashvili, making it 3-1 to the home side.
Down by two goals, coach Arne Slot brought on Chiesa and young talent Ngumoha to bolster the attack. Although Salah reduced the score to 2-3 in the 89th minute with a classy finish, time was too short for Liverpool to avoid defeat.
The 3-2 defeat to Brentford was not only Liverpool’s fourth consecutive Premier League loss, but also their third in a row in London this season. After nine matches, the Reds have collected just 15 points and dropped to sixth place in the standings, a disappointing start for the reigning English champions.
Manager Arne Slot is facing increasing pressure as Liverpool’s style of play remains unstable, their defense consistently makes errors, and their attack lacks the cutting edge to convert chances into goals. If these issues are not addressed soon, the prospect of falling behind in the Premier League title race is slowly becoming a reality.