Brentford 3–2 Liverpool: Champions Humbled as Defensive Chaos Returns | OneFootball

Brentford 3 – 2 Liverpool – PL Postmortem

With Liverpool hoping the midweek rout in Germany would spark a return to domestic form, that optimism was quickly dismantled by a Brentford side that looked sharper, stronger, and far more cohesive. In a contest that exposed the fragility of the reigning champions, Arne Slot’s side looked every bit like a team unsure of its identity — a far cry from the ruthless unit that lifted the title months ago.

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The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Giorgi Mamardashvili

• RB – Conor Bradley

• CB – Ibrahima Konaté

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Milos Kerkez

• CM – Curtis Jones

• CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

• RW – Mohamed Salah

• ACM – Florian Wirtz

• SS – Hugo Ekitike

• LW – Cody Gakpo

Substitutes

Alexis Mac Allister ↔ Conor Bradley (61’)

Federico Chiesa ↔ Cody Gakpo (61’)

Andy Robertson ↔ Milos Kerkez (61’)

Rio Ngumoha ↔ Curtis Jones (70’)

Joe Gomez ↔ Florian Wirtz (83’)

Goals (Assisted by):

Brentford 1-0 Liverpool – Dango Ouattara – 5’

Brentford 2-0 Liverpool – Kevin Shade (Mikkel Damsgaard) – 45’

Brentford 2-1 Liverpool – Milos Kerkez (Hugo Ekitike) – 45+5’

Brentford 3-1 Liverpool – Igor Thiago (Penalty) – 60’

Brentford 3-2 Liverpool – Mohamed Salah (Dominik Szoboszlai) – 89’

Match Statistics

• Possession – Brentford 34% | Liverpool 66%

• XG – Brentford 2.21 | Liverpool 2.35

• Total Shots – Brentford 17 | Liverpool 18

• Fouls – Brentford 7 | Liverpool 10

• Corners – Brentford 5 | Liverpool 4

• Saves – Brentford 3 | Liverpool 5

First Half

The early exchanges were defined by chaos and poor defensive structure. Brentford’s direct approach, built around long throws and relentless second balls, immediately unsettled Liverpool. Conor Bradley and Giorgi Mamardashvili both hesitated during the sequence that led to Dango Ouattara’s opener, while the back line as a whole looked uncertain in their organisation.

As the Reds pushed to respond, Mohamed Salah squandered a golden chance to level, his heavy touch wasting a promising through ball before colliding with former teammate Caoimhin Kelleher. At the other end, Mamardashvili’s sharp reflexes prevented further damage, and Florian Wirtz went close with a driven effort that skimmed the post.

Yet Liverpool’s dominance in possession translated into little threat, and a costly turnover from Hugo Ekitike saw Kevin Shade double the hosts’ lead just before half-time — the Frenchman’s lapse was punished ruthlessly by Mikkel Damsgaard’s incisive pass. Only Milos Kerkez’s late strike, arriving from Ekitike’s glancing touch in first-half stoppage time, offered any glimmer of hope heading into the interval.

At 2-1 down, it set up a pivotal half for Slot — one that demanded character and clarity.

Photo: IMAGO

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Second Half

Liverpool began the second period with intent but little composure. Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai tried to dictate tempo, yet the structure behind them disintegrated under Brentford’s counter-attacks. When Igor Thiago was kicked by Virgil van Dijk on the line of the box, the penalty was dispatched confidently to make it 3-1 — a blow that visibly drained the visitors.

Changes arrived in bulk on the hour mark, with Andy Robertson and Federico Chiesa introduced to salvage something from the wreckage. Chiesa’s directness provided some spark, and Salah finally found a moment of quality in the dying stages — finishing ferociously from Szoboszlai’s driven ball to narrow the deficit to 3-2. But by then, Brentford were entrenched, managing the final minutes with composure that Liverpool simply lacked.

As the whistle blew, the travelling supporters could only watch a side unravelling at both ends of the pitch, undone not by quality but by the absence of conviction.

Photo: IMAGO

Final Thoughts

This was another sobering night for Arne Slot, whose Liverpool is starting to resemble a jigsaw without a frame. The defensive structure remains uncertain, the attacking chemistry fractured, and the sense of inevitability that once accompanied this team is nowhere to be seen.

Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai provided fleeting resistance amid the chaos, but leadership and balance are sorely missing. The champions look lost, and with the games coming thick and fast, Slot must rediscover not just form — but belief.

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Steven Smith’s Score Prediction: Brentford 2 – 2 Liverpool

Full-Time Result: Brentford 3 – 2 Liverpool