Brentford Condemn Lacklustre Liverpool To Fourth Straight League Defeat

Victory successful Frankfurt connected Wednesday, it turns out, was only impermanent respite. Liverpool didn’t conscionable gaffe to a 4th convention conclusion successful a statement for nan first clip since February 2021, but were thoroughly outplayed and outfought by Brentford. The anxious play of stoppage clip nan location broadside endured was retired of keeping pinch everything that had gone before.

Brentford thin people to a nonstop attack anyway, but Arne Slot’s grumbling past week astir Manchester United’s agelong balls was an unfastened invitation. Liverpool ne'er sewage to grips pinch nan gait of Kevin Schade moving successful down their backmost four, and they looked uncomfortable arsenic good against Michael Kayode’s fusillade of agelong throws. Every broadside now knows that Liverpool are susceptible to balls played successful down their full-backs. The opening goal, scored aft 5 minutes, stemmed from a Kayode throw, but that was nan consequence of Giorgi Mamardashvili, mopping up arsenic Schade chased down Conor Bradley. It was already nan 2nd clip he had done so.

Some agelong propulsion specialists trust connected power, nan assemblage contorted to go a grunting trebuchet, but conscionable arsenic nan fastest bowlers aliases nan golfers who thrust nan shot furthest thin to beryllium nan astir graceful, truthful Kayode seems to make his region pinch rhythm. There is simply a lithe fluidity to his tally up and release, nan trajectory oddly flat, much metallic wood than 7 iron. Some agelong throws are vulnerable because they driblet truthful slow that it’s difficult for defenders to execute region pinch a clearing header, but not Kayode’s. His deliveries scud connected a debased parabola, a much meticulous type of a transverse from nan aforesaid position. Kristoffer Ajer flicked connected and Dango Ouattara smashed successful a falling volley pinch Liverpool’s defence apparently mesmerised.

It was Schade’s gait that brought nan 2nd connected nan changeable of half-time. Hugo Ekitiké mislaid possession and Mikkel Damsgaard, who would doubly beryllium denied by spectacular saves from Mamardashvili, opened Liverpool up pinch a typically incisive through-ball, Ibrahima Konaté efficaciously giving up nan pursuit earlier Schade hit nan keeper.

Full-back has been a problem position for Liverpool this season, particularly connected nan near wherever Milos Kerkez looks thing for illustration nan thrusting subordinate he did astatine Bournemouth past season. He wasted possession repeatedly, assurance fraying, arsenic good arsenic collecting a needless booking, but he did slam successful a debased Bradley transverse heavy successful first-half stoppage time.

Igor Thiago is each smiles aft scoring his punishment to springiness Brentford a 3-1 lead. Photograph: Dave Shopland/AP

Brentford’s players and fans protested astir really agelong nan half had been allowed to spell connected for – excessively long, it turned out, for nan referee Simon Hooper who had to beryllium replaced for nan 2nd period. But if their fearfulness was that nan extremity had offered Liverpool a lifeline, it was misplaced. The location broadside continued to predominate and extended nan lead erstwhile a foul fixed for Virgil van Dijk’s footwear connected Ouattara was deemed to person taken spot wrong nan box. Igor Thiago converted nan penalty.

Slot responded pinch a flurry of substitutions, astir of them forwards.

By nan 70th minute, Liverpool were playing a benignant of 4-1-5, pinch Florian Wirtz and Federico Chiesa arsenic shuttling wrong forwards. Chiesa has now played much convention minutes this play than he did successful nan entirety of last.

Wirtz, meanwhile, continues to frustrate. He has not been arsenic bad arsenic immoderate person made retired but, equally, erstwhile a subordinate arrives for £116m location is ever going to beryllium expectation, and erstwhile he is simply a guardant who fails to people aliases registry an assistance successful his first 8 convention games, that is transformed into pressure. Back successful nan mediate for nan first clip successful nan convention since nan 1-0 triumph complete Burnley successful mid-September, he looked visibly tense and, erstwhile a chance fell his measurement midway done nan first half, he snatched astatine it. But he is not nan only 1 retired of sorts.

Mohamed Salah had hardly been progressive erstwhile he gathered Dominik Szoboszlai’s transverse pinch a good first touch and lashed a changeable successful disconnected nan underside of nan barroom pinch a infinitesimal remaining.

Even that seemed to travel from nothing, nan consequence of a infinitesimal of Brentford carelessness alternatively than of concerted Liverpool pressure.

There were understandable nerves arsenic nan statement approached, but contempt different extended play of stoppage time, and a area fixed for Caoimhín Kelleher wasting time, Brentford vanished arsenic they had been throughout: by acold nan superior side.