Liverpool have now suffered four consecutive Premier League defeats, with the latest misery for the defending champions inflicted by Brentford at the Community Stadium on Saturday evening. Goals from Dango Ouattara (5’), Kevin Schade (45’), and Igor Thiago (60’ pen) secured the win for the Bees, while Milos Kerkez (45+5’) and Mohamed Salah (89’) struck […]
Liverpool’s 2025–26 Premier League campaign has taken a worrying turn under head coach Arne Slot. After starting the season with five straight wins, the Reds have now lost four consecutive league matches, and most recently Brentford, who beat them 3–2 as reported by Softfootball. The slump equals their total number of defeats from the entire previous season, signalling a serious regression for the reigning champions.
Brentford vs Liverpool (Photo Credit: Liverpool via X)
Slot admitted the performance at the Gtech Community Stadium was up there among his most disappointing since taking charge, as posted on the club’s official YouTube account. He said:
You are always hoping for a better result. But I was also hoping and expecting a better performance, because the performance was far from what we are used to.
Despite goals from Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool could not recover after conceding early to Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. The manager conceded that basic errors and poor duelling cost his side dearly, saying:
It’s hard to win a game of football if the other team wins more duels and more second balls than you.
Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool (Photo Credit: Liverpool via X)
The Dutch coach also revealed that Liverpool spent their final training session focusing solely on defending long throws from Brentford’s Kayode. He said:
It’s the only thing we did yesterday on the training pitch. Yet we conceded from that after five minutes.
Watch the video below:
Slot admitted that tactical preparation alone means little without concentration and communication, insisting that defending is a collective job of all 11 players.
Frustrated but not defeated, Slot urged patience, noting that summer changes and a difficult run of five away fixtures from their last six have affected rhythm. He said:
I didn’t expect it to go with four losses in a row. But we have to stay together, work harder, and find our answers quickly.
Following Liverpool’s poor run of form, captain Virgil van Dijk has delivered a candid and introspective message to his teammates and fans alike. The Dutch defender admitted that everyone in the squad must take responsibility, saying:
Everyone has to look in the mirror, including myself.
Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool (Photo Credit: Liverpool via X)
Van Dijk’s message, however, went beyond tactics. The 34-year-old urged unity within the dressing room and called on fans to stand by the team during this rough patch, as posted by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account. He said, reminding supporters of last season’s title celebrations at Anfield:
It’s not only us as players but also together with our fans and everyone who wants us to win.
Van Dijk: “Everyone has to look in the mirror including myself”.
“I am sure we will get out of this. But we won't do it just by talking about it. We will try to improve”.
Despite the growing criticism from pundits like Jamie Carragher and Craig Burley, Van Dijk remains steadfast:
We won’t get out of this just by talking about it. We will try to improve.
With key Champions League and Premier League fixtures on the horizon, his leadership and composure could be crucial in guiding Liverpool back to stability.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence is going from bad to worse, as Arne Slot’s men slumped to a fourth straight league defeat, losing 3-2 to a spirited Brentford side in west London, Softfootball reports.
Fresh from a confidence-boosting 5-1 win over Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League, many expected Liverpool to build on that result. But instead, they were stunned just five minutes in when Michael Kayode’s long throw caused chaos in the box, Kristoffer Ajer flicked it on, and Dango Ouattara smashed home a superb volley to put the Bees ahead.
Brentford players celebrating after scoring the third goal against Liverpool (Photo Credit: Brentford X handle)
Liverpool tried to hit back immediately. Mohamed Salah forced a sharp save from former Reds goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, while new boy Florian Wirtz still chasing his first goal for the club,scuffed wide from a promising position. But Brentford, coming into the game high on confidence after their 2-0 win last weekend where Igor Thiago also found the net, refused to sit back.
The hosts kept pushing, and Giorgi Mamardashvili had to pull off a sensational one-handed save to deny Mikkel Damsgaard. Moments later, Damsgaard turned creator, slipping a clever pass through to Kevin Schade, who raced clear and made no mistake with a composed finish to make it 2-0.
Kevin Schade after scoring Brentford Second goal (Photo Credit: Brentford X handle)
Just when it looked like Liverpool were sinking, they grabbed a lifeline in controversial circumstances. Deep into first-half stoppage time — two minutes after the added time had expired — Milos Kerkez popped up at the far post to turn in Conor Bradley’s cross and halve the deficit before the break.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed, though. Brentford continued to look dangerous after the restart, and their pressure paid off again when VAR ruled that Virgil van Dijk had brought down Ouattara right on the edge of the box. Igor Thiago stepped up and coolly slotted home from the spot for his fourth goal in as many games, restoring the Bees’ two-goal cushion.
Milo Kerkez after scoring his first ever goal for Liverpool (Photo Credit: Liverpool X handle)
Arne Slot emptied his bench, bringing on four players in quick succession in a desperate attempt to spark a revival. Salah gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope late on with a thunderous strike that went in off the underside of the bar ending his six-game goal drought at club level but it proved too little, too late.
Interestingly after the game, Brentford via its official X handle posted the post match reactions of the players to this well earned victory over the current PL champions in front of their home fans. They posted:
The final whistle confirmed another disappointing night for Liverpool, who have now lost five straight matches in London for the first time since 1970. Brentford, meanwhile, celebrated a famous win, their third victory in four league games as the Bees continue to buzz their way up the table and leave the champions searching for answers.
Liverpool is set for a Premier League clash with Brentford this Saturday at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Reds are looking to build on their recent boost of confidence, while Brentford aim to continue their strong home form.
For Brentford, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster season with some good times and some bad times. Softfootball reported how they pulled in a big win against West Ham, defeating them 2-0 away from home. Under Keith Andrews, the Bees aim to play a clever, tactical game to frustrate stronger opponents, while also using their pace to catch teams off-guard.
Arne Slot (Photo Credit – Liverpool Official Website)
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the match between Liverpool and Brentford, Arne Slot highlighted the status of his players, Mohammed Salah’s form and the challenges of the match.
Arne Slot and Mohammed Salah (photo credit: Liverpool media)
Slot spoke in favor of Salah who has played a few matches without scoring, classifying the Egyptian star as one of the most reliable players in the team. He said:
The main thing is that Mo has always scored goals for our club. The last thing I worry about is Mo starting to score goals again because that’s what he’s done his whole life and what I expect him to do in the upcoming weeks and months for our club as well
When asked about the squad changes affect Salah’s form, the manager reflected on summer changes and their possible impact, saying:
It could. Not particularly maybe the right full-back, but it could [be]… for every player if you have quite a few changes in your squad during the summer then everyone needs to find new connections again… Mo is not an exception to this because he’s also a human being like all the others…
Curtis Jones (Photo Credit: Liverpool media)
Slot noted Curtis Jones’ commanding midfield display against Frankfurt, explaining the tactical setup behind his influence:
I’m not so surprised that he touched the ball a lot because I positioned him and Dom a bit lower… Curtis has played a very good game against Frankfurt.
Speaking on the challenge of selecting the best XI, Slot said:
It’s not only about new signings… It’s about a lot of very good players, so what is your best line-up? The team you face, the tactics the other team plays with, the form of the player and the connections between the players… you can also have moments in the season where things are a bit more difficult.
He added that integrating new signings in matches also plays a role:
It was maybe also the first time there was an opportunity to play with both Alex and Hugo because of Alex missing out for so long… certain players bring different characteristics.
Keith Andrews, the head coach of Brentford also spoke ahead of the match. As shared in the club’s verified X handle, He sounded positive on the team’s recent performance and talked about the need for improvements.
The performance levels of so many aspects on Monday were very pleasing. There’s always things you can tweak. Naturally you can become a little bit more demanding, and fine tune, when everybody is in a good place. We need to build on that
He also spoke about his team’s preparation for the match against Liverpool. He admitted that the game will be tough but his players are ready.
Keith Andrews on Liverpool gameplan
"We have to manage the game. We are well aware of the strengths that they have. We’ll see what their teamsheet brings tomorrow evening. We’ll be prepared for it and are really looking forward to it" pic.twitter.com/aqE8az4jRp
For Liverpool, Alexandra Isak’s coming back is in doubt especially as he had come off at half-time in the game with Eintracht Frankfurt because of his groin injury. It is also not certain if Ryan Gravenberch will be playing in the match because of his ankle injury. Jeremie Frimpong, Alisson Becker, and Giovanni Leoni remain out.
For Brentford, Antoni Milambo and Paris Maghoma will not play because of an ACL and thigh injuries respectively. There is doubt about Aaron Hickey because of a knock to his knee.
Possible Lineups:
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Collins, Van den Berg, Pinnock; Kayode, Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Lewis-Potter; Damsgaard; Schade, Thiago
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Bradley; Konaté; Virgil van Dijk; Robertson; Mac Allister; Jones; Salah; Szoboszlai; Gakpo; Ekitike.
Prediction:
With Liverpool’s superior quality, they could win with a 2-1 scoreline but Brentford will still make the game tough for them because of their strength at home.
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