Liverpool suffered yet another setback as they were beaten 2-3 away at Brentford, despite a late strike from Mohamed Salah giving the visitors a glimmer of hope in the dying minutes.
Right from the start, Brentford caused chaos in Liverpool’s defense. In just the 5th minute, a long throw-in created confusion in the box, with the ball deflecting off Dango Ouattara and straight into the net, giving the home side an early 1-0 lead. Liverpool tried to respond quickly, with Mohamed Salah coming close to equalizing, but his shot was denied by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
In the 45th minute, Brentford doubled their advantage when Kevin Schade latched onto a perfect pass from Mikkel Damsgaard and coolly slotted the ball home to make it 2-0. However, Liverpool managed to pull one back right before halftime. Milos Kerkez reacted fastest to a rebound inside the box and fired in to reduce the deficit to 1-2 heading into the break.
At the start of the second half, Liverpool manager Arne Slot made three substitutions in an attempt to shake things up, but the defensive frailties continued to haunt his side. In the 60th minute, after consulting VAR, the referee awarded a penalty to Brentford for a foul inside the box. Igor Thiago stepped up and converted calmly, restoring the two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Liverpool pushed hard in the closing stages and were eventually rewarded in the 89th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai delivered a precise cross, and Mohamed Salah controlled brilliantly before firing a thunderous shot off the crossbar and into the net, cutting the score to 2-3. Despite dominating stoppage time, the Reds couldn’t find an equalizer.
The defeat marks Liverpool’s fourth loss in their last five Premier League games, a worrying run that has seen them drop to sixth place with just 15 points from nine matches. Brentford, on the other hand, climb into the top 10 with 13 points, continuing to prove their strength on home turf.
