Liverpool hit low as familiar woes bring fourth defeat in a row

Liverpool fans would not be blamed for believing their club’s woeful run of form had come to an end after their emphatic 5-1 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

That win snapped a four-game losing streak in all competitions and gave Arne Slot’s side renewed faith in their ability to retain their Premier League title, but that confidence deflated entirely with a chastening defeat at the hands of an ebullient Brentford side.

Champions join unwanted club

Liverpool have become only the fourth reigning champions to lose four consecutive Premier League games, after Leicester City in 2016/17, Liverpool themselves in 2020/21, and Manchester City last season.

"You cannot compare all of them, but the most concerning thing is that you lose four times in a row”, Slot told TNT Sports after the defeat.

“Afterwards you can judge the performance and today was the worst in my opinion from all the four. Again, conceding a set-piece and not scoring one makes it hard to win a game of football."

It took just five minutes for the home side to take the lead, with Liverpool becoming the latest in a long line of clubs to fall victim to the Brentford’s intimidating throw-in routine when Dango Outtara finished on the volley after Kristoffer Ajer flicked on Michael Kayode’s long throw.

Liverpool can’t say they weren’t warned – Brentford have scored eight goals from throw-ins since the start of last season, the most of any side in the Premier League.

Early concessions haunt Liverpool again

It was the sixth game in a row in all competitions to see Liverpool concede the opening goal, with each of those goals being scored inside the first 30 minutes of play.

Brentford went two goals ahead in the 45th minute after a misplaced pass from Hugo Ekitike was punished by Mikkel Damsgaard, who took advantage of Liverpool’s high line to send Kevin Schade clean through on goal to finish past Giorgi Mamardashvili.

That concession meant Liverpool had let in multiple goals in six of their nine league matches this season, and in nine different league games since the start of May, the most of any side in the Premier League.

Milos Kerkez scored on the stroke of half-time to set the Reds up for a second-half comeback, but it was in fact Brentford who scored the game’s fourth goal, with Igor Thiago restoring their two-goal lead from the penalty spot in the 60th minute after Virgil van Dijk had fouled Outtara on the edge of the box.

Brentford’s third led to Slot deciding to substitute both of his full-backs, Kerkez and Conor Bradley, further distilling Liverpool’s struggles to find any consistency in those positions this season.

Indeed, the best full-back on the pitch was no doubt Brentford’s Kayode, who won all five of his ground duels while providing a huge threat with his customary long throws.

Liverpool fight back but too little too late

Liverpool did show that there remains some fight in the team yet, with Mohamed Salah’s 89th-minute goal resulting in a frantic stoppage time period that saw the Reds provide a barrage of attacks up until the 100th minute.

It was Salah’s first goal from open play in the Premier League since the opening night of the season against AFC Bournemouth, and if the club are to have any chance of recreating last season’s performances, they will be hopeful this is a turning point for the Egyptian.

But Salah’s downturn in form is just one of many reasons for Liverpool’s poor results this season, with their defence no doubt the main concern.

"If Mo is going to go on a scoring run then that is definitely going to be important for the team," Slot continued.

"Football is about scoring goals, but football is also about not conceding goals. It would help the team if we have players that score goals but that only helps if, as a team, we can keep a clean sheet and that is not only what the last line does but what we as a team needs to do better."

The Reds have now conceded 14 goals after just nine games in the Premier League this season – it wasn’t until Matchweek 16 that they conceded their 14th goal last season. They have also lost as many matches this season as they did last, and two of those four defeats in 2024/25 came after they had confirmed the title.

Robertson criticises lack of fight

"In the first half we weren’t up for the fight and I’m not sure it improved too much in the second half," said Andrew Robertson, who came off the bench to replace Kerkez in the 61st minute.

"The one thing you need when you come to Brentford away is to fight. We were a step off it and you end up conceding the goals.

"Four defeats in a row is nowhere near good enough for this football club. The standard wasn't there today. The one thing you have to do for this club is fight and I’m not sure we got enough of that today."

If results go against them in Sunday’s games, Liverpool could fall to as low as ninth in the table. Slot needs to find a fix, and he needs to find it as soon possible before the gap at the top becomes insurmountable.

Next up are Crystal Palace, their Community Shield nemesis, before facing Aston Villa in the league, Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and Man City in the league.