LONDON — The inquest started the second the ball hit the again of the Liverpool web.
Kevin Schade had simply scored to place Brentford 2-0 up in opposition to the champions and Virgil van Dijk turned to remonstrate with Cody Gakpo, who flailed his arms in response. Ibrahima Konaté appeared down on the turf as he and his teammates trudged wearily again in direction of the centre circle.
For Liverpool — who went on to lose the sport 3-2 — that is changing into an all too acquainted routine.
The Reds have now misplaced 4 consecutive Premier League video games for the primary time since February 2021, when a collection of defensive accidents led to a spectacular implosion of the membership’s title defence. This time round, the mitigating circumstances are usually not as clear lower, however the consequence is identical: Liverpool are in disaster.
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After Igor Thiago had transformed a controversial second-half penalty to revive his staff’s two-goal benefit, the house supporters directed chants of: “You are getting sacked within the morning” in direction of Liverpool boss Arne Slot on the touchline. Their taunts could have been tongue-in-cheek — Slot has credit score within the financial institution from final season’s title win and is presiding over a interval of change after a really seismic summer season — but it surely nonetheless served as a reminder of simply how far his staff have fallen.
If the midweek demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt within the Champions League supplied Liverpool some respite from their home woes, Saturday night time’s journey to West London introduced them again right down to earth with an almighty bang. Ought to leaders Arsenal beat Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool will already discover themselves seven factors behind Mikel Arteta’s facet.
After all, the season continues to be younger, and larger deficits have been overturned in title races previous. However, at current, Liverpool look extra like a staff battling relegation than one able to defending their crown.
The stage was rapidly set for an additional bruising night time for Slot’s facet once they fell behind inside 5 minutes thanks an outstanding volley from Dango Ouattara after yet one more spectacular lengthy throw from Michael Kayode was flicked on by Kristoffer Ajer. It was the eighth Premier League purpose Brentford have scored from a throw-in because the begin of final season — greater than another facet — and but Liverpool appeared unprepared. The Reds’ frustration was compounded by obtrusive misses from Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz earlier than Schade raced onto Mikkel Damsgaard’s wonderful defence-splitting cross to fit coolly previous Giorgi Mamardashvili shortly earlier than the break. An instinctive end from Milos Kerkez deep into first-half stoppage time gave Liverpool a lifeline however the guests had been unable to construct any actual momentum and, by the point Thiago had added Brentford’s third, they appeared out of concepts.
That the penalty was solely awarded by way of a VAR assessment which adjudged Van Dijk’s problem on Ouattara to have taken place the sting of the world is indicative of the present malaise Liverpool discover themselves in. When it rains, it pours for Slot’s facet in the mean time, and this most up-to-date defeat has washed away any remaining dregs of positivity generated by their profitable begin to the season.
Liverpool have now misplaced as many league video games this time period as they did within the entirety of final season, with their earlier 4 defeats having come throughout a run of 47 matches. Salah’s thumping strike within the 89th minute supplied a quick flicker of hope however finally the Reds had been unable to tug off one other late rescue act.
Out of all of Liverpool’s gamers, it’s Salah whose present stoop is most emblematic of his staff’s wider struggles, with the ahead at present miles wanting his talismanic greatest. Having been dropped to the bench in opposition to Frankfurt in midweek, the Egypt worldwide was restored to the beginning line-up within the capital, changing into the primary ahead to start out 50+ consecutive league video games for the membership since Ian Rush from February 1986 to Could 1987 (56).
Salah’s return to goalscoring kind is probably one of many few positives that may be taken from this weekend’s dismal reverse however, for essentially the most half in opposition to Brentford, the 33-year-old appeared like a shadow of the participant that, at instances final season, appeared like he was single-handedly dragging Liverpool in direction of the title.
“I’ve mentioned this many instances already that groups have a sure taking part in model in opposition to us, which is an excellent technique to play, and we have not discovered a solution but,” Slot mentioned when requested to elucidate his staff’s dismal run of kind. “It positively additionally has to do with if you happen to change quite a bit throughout the summer season, then I believe it isn’t a shock that it will possibly go a bit like this.
“However I did not anticipate it to go together with 4 losses in a row, that’s clear. But it surely’s all the time a little bit of a bumpy street if you happen to change issues — that’s not so shocking.”
Shocking or not, Liverpool’s present run is susceptible to derailing their complete season. Accidents are usually not serving to the staff’s present plight — Alexander Isak, Ryan Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong and Alisson Becker all missed the journey to Brentford — however their issues prolong past the absence of sure key personnel.
Because the final remaining followers trickled out of the stadium on Saturday night time, Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blared out from the audio system, encouraging listeners to “have fun good instances.” At current, the great instances for Liverpool really feel a really great distance off.