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Beth Lindop
LONDON — The moment the ball found the back of the Liverpool net, disbelief set in.
Kevin Schade had just netted to give Brentford a 2-0 lead against the champions, prompting Virgil van Dijk to argue with Cody Gakpo, whose flailing arms offered little comfort. Teammate Ibrahima Konaté stared somberly at the ground as he and his teammates trudged back to the center circle.
For Liverpool, who ultimately suffered a 3-2 defeat, this scenario is becoming all too common.
The Reds have now lost their last four consecutive Premier League matches, a first since February 2021, which was precipitated by a string of defensive injuries and a catastrophic decline in their title defense. Currently, the reasons for their struggles are less clear cut, yet the results remain the same: Liverpool is in crisis.
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After Igor Thiago scored a controversial penalty to restore Brentford’s two-goal advantage, the home fans directed chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot. While their taunts may have been meant in jest—given Slot’s previous success in winning the title last season—this moment highlighted just how far the team has fallen.
Although Liverpool experienced a brief reprieve from their domestic struggles with a midweek victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, Saturday’s trip to West London was a harsh wake-up call. If league leaders Arsenal manages to defeat Crystal Palace on Sunday, Liverpool could find themselves seven points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s side.
While the season is still in its early stages and recoveries from greater deficits have occurred before, Liverpool presently resembles a side more at risk of relegation than one poised to defend their title.
Things escalated quickly for Slot’s men when they fell behind within five minutes, courtesy of a stunning volley from Dango Ouattara following a long throw-in executed by Michael Kayode. This marked Brentford’s eighth Premier League goal from a throw-in since last season, the highest in the league, yet Liverpool appeared caught off guard. The Reds were further frustrated by missed opportunities from Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz before Schade capitalized on a brilliant pass from Mikkel Damsgaard to slot past Giorgi Mamardashvili just before halftime. Although Milos Kerkez scored deep into first-half stoppage time to give Liverpool a glimmer of hope, the team struggled to gain momentum, and by the time Thiago added Brentford’s third goal, it was evident Liverpool was running out of ideas.
The awarding of the penalty, only confirmed after a VAR review clarified that Van Dijk’s challenge on Ouattara occurred just outside the area, underscores the challenges Liverpool currently face. It has been a tough stretch for Slot’s team, and this latest defeat has extinguished any lingering optimism from their initial successes this season.
This season, Liverpool has already matched the number of league defeats they had last year, with their previous four losses accumulating over 47 matches. Salah’s powerful strike in the 89th minute offered a fleeting spark of hope, but ultimately the Reds fell short once again.
Salah’s current struggles are perhaps the most telling reflection of Liverpool’s broader issues, as the forward has been significantly off his game. Having been benched against Frankfurt midweek, the Egypt international returned to the starting lineup in London and became the first forward to start 50+ consecutive league games for Liverpool since Ian Rush from February 1986 to May 1987 (56 times).
While Salah finding his scoring touch might be one of the few bright spots from the recent loss, overall, he appeared to be far from the dominant player he was at certain moments last season, when he seemed to single-handedly propel Liverpool toward the title.
“I’ve mentioned this multiple times; teams have developed an effective strategy against us, and we have yet to find a solution,” Slot remarked while discussing his team’s poor form. “It undoubtedly relates to the significant changes we’ve made over the summer. I didn’t foresee this run of four consecutive losses. However, changes often bring inconsistency, which is not surprising.”
Whether surprising or not, Liverpool’s current trajectory threatens to derail their entire season. Injuries are compounding their difficulties—key players like Alexander Isak, Ryan Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong, and Alisson Becker all missed the match against Brentford—but the struggles are about more than just missing personnel.
As the last of the fans gradually exited the stadium Saturday night, Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” echoed through the speakers, urging listeners to “celebrate good times.” For Liverpool, however, those good times feel like a distant memory.