Brenford 3-2 Liverpool: There was plenty of drama at both ends of the pitch as Liverpool struggled to recover from a sluggish start to their trip to west London.
Liverpool’s Premier League misery continued on Saturday night as Brentford suffered their fourth straight defeat in the competition to Arn Slott’s side. Brentford took the lead late in the second half with goals from Dango Ouattara and Kevin Shade, but Milos Kerkes gave the visitors hope until the end of first-half stoppage time.
A one-goal lead looked dangerous, but Brentford regained a two-goal advantage with Igor Thiago’s goal from the penalty spot around the hour mark. Mo Salah’s consolation was too little, too late. When the dust settled, Liverpool realized they now faced a tough battle to retain the league title.
Liverpool overcame an early scare to beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League and were back on winning ways by midweek. However, it was not without setbacks, with Alexander Isak suffering a groin injury that forced him to miss the trip to west London.
Brentford experienced some pain late in the game against the Reds last season, but started like a team determined to avoid a repeat. With just five minutes remaining, Ouattara volleyed the Bees into the lead, and Christopher Ajer headed home.
Arne Slott’s side had a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal and did not let their guard down as they sought early goals. Salah came close to scoring but former Reds keeper Caoich Kelleher was sent off early to thwart his former colleague’s attack, but in the 20th minute Florian Wirths fired a shot wide of the target.
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However, Brentford really found their footing late in the first half and their threat wasn’t just from set pieces. Giorgi Mamadashvili was a busy man for the visiting side, making a crucial stop to deny Mikkel Damsgaard as the Dane came close to doubling the hosts’ lead, but was powerless to deny Kevin Schade after the German was fed by Damsgaard on the break.
Kerkes’ goal gave Liverpool hope despite a struggling first half, but Brentford did not let up and grabbed other chances before scoring their third goal. Let’s talk about mirror football at Gtech Community Stadium.
1. Long throws are here to stay.
Liverpool aren’t the first team to be caught out by long throws this season, and they won’t be the last. Michael Kayode’s delivery caused problems, but Ajer and Oattara still had work to do to take full advantage.
The Brentford right-back had another chance to wreak havoc from almost the same position on the field just before the half-hour mark. Liverpool also struggled to cope in this game, but were probably relieved to see Nathan Collins’ header safely into Mamadashvili’s arms.
The story goes that this was the season of long throws on the table. Saturday night’s game showed that even the reigning champions are not immune.
2. Judgment drama for both sides
Just before Brentford’s second goal, Liverpool felt they deserved a penalty. Nathan Collins, who tried to dislodge Cody Gakpo inside the home box, did not get possession of the ball, but neither the on-field referee nor VAR felt the Irishman had gained enough of Gakpo to warrant a spot-kick.
This wasn’t the only controversy that arose in the first half. Liverpool’s goal came four minutes into stoppage time. That was after the board showed a minimum of 3 points. Booing from some Brentford fans at the break suggested that they did not consider the restart wait after Schade’s goal as a good enough reason for play to continue for so long.
There was a change of referee at the break, with Tim Robinson replacing Simon Hooper following an injury, but there was more drama around the first hour. Brentford were initially awarded a free kick when Virgil van Dijk fouled Ouattara, but VAR ordered them to award a penalty after the foul was determined to have taken place inside the box.
3. Former Reds take lead in reunion
One wonders how Liverpool fans would have reacted had Jordan Henderson been a little more precise in the 32nd minute. The former Reds captain is yet to score for Brentford, but his low shot left Mamadashvili on his toes before flying wide of the post.
Henderson was not the only former Liverpool player to be involved with the visiting team. Caoihin Kelleher played against his old club for the first time since moving south in the summer and bravely denied Salah’s attacks in the first half.
Sepp van den Berg also had a point to prove, as he may not have felt he was able to crack the whip properly at Anfield. He was part of an impressive rearguard effort in the first half, right up until Liverpool’s goal. He re-entered the match at 3-1 and had great success with his final block.
4. Isaac is not the only painful loss.
Alexander Isak is yet to feature for Newcastle in Liverpool colors, but some may have felt he could have made a difference in the first half. Hugo Ekitike was more subdued than usual and Isak, who scored home and away against Brentford last season, may have been more of a threat.
The Swedish striker wasn’t the only player absent. Jeremy Frimpong’s run from right-back may have helped limit Brentford’s threat down the flanks, but Ryan Gravenbirch also felt like a notable absentee, and Alisson’s goalkeeping heroics might have really helped.
However, Liverpool still have a talented squad and you will feel they could have had more fighting quality before Brentford hit top gear. It remains to be seen how much damage this will cause.
5. Advantage Arsenal
Arsenal fans were in dreamland when Schade doubled Brentford’s lead. Not only did they manage to keep the gap on Liverpool at four points, but they would also have the chance to turn that four into seven if they win on Sunday.
There were likely some tense moments for the Gunners watching at home, at least between the half-time break and the start of the second period. Igor Thiago’s penalty helped ease some of those tensions until just before Salah mistimed his timing to make it 3-2 and set up a grandstand finish. But now the onus is on Arsenal to maximize their advantage against Crystal Palace.
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola has warned everyone not to rule out Liverpool ahead of this weekend’s match. But it is now difficult to ignore that City are the biggest threat to Mikel Arteta’s side.
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