Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk admitted that despite his team’s preparations in the defeat in west London, they were unable to stop Brentford’s set-piece threat. The Reds lost 3-2, extending their Premier League losing streak to four games and equaling the total number of league losses for the entire 2024/25 season.
Brentford took an early lead just five minutes into the game with Dango Ouattara’s superb volley past Giorgi Mamadashvili, and Igor Thiago converted a penalty in the second half after Van Dijk conceded a soft foul. Liverpool also fell victim to Brentford’s quick counterattack late in the first half, with a pass from Mikel Damsgaard to Kevin Shade cutting through the Liverpool defence.
Van Dijk admitted worryingly that despite their efforts to neutralize Brentford’s strengths, Liverpool were unable to stop the Bees.
“Obviously it was a disappointing night,” said the Liverpool captain. “We conceded two goals again in the first half, but their throw-in was obviously very dangerous, so it’s something we’ve obviously been practicing.
“I think we defended well in the first game, but after that we gave them a lot of chances and scored.
“The second one was in transition, which is obviously their strength as well. So, it’s disappointing, but we got a good goal just before the break. And after that we just have to keep going.”
“I think in the first 20 minutes we probably gave away 10 throw-ins. And if that’s the strength of the opposition, you’re obviously asking for trouble. So it’s disappointing, but obviously it’s more disappointing that we can’t keep a clean sheet at the moment.”
“You know, I’m obviously a part of that as well as the rest of the team. It’s not just one player or the last line, everyone has that responsibility and we have to improve to get back to winning ways in the league.”
This showed yet another sign that Liverpool looked vulnerable defensively.
Van Dijk struggled against the physical Thiago, while Milos Kerkes put in another poor performance and a clear lack of midfield defense was evident throughout.
“Well, of course in the second half we’re putting in more effort and taking more risks. So it’s going to be more chaotic at times because we’re pushing, we’re trying, we’re forcing ourselves,” Van Dijk said of the disorganized play.
“The fact is we have lost four games in a row in the Premier League and we want to turn things around as soon as possible.
“The aim was obviously to build on our performance in Germany, but unfortunately we weren’t able to do that today. So we’ll have another chance on Wednesday and aim to put in a good performance and hopefully get a clean sheet and win the game.”
Van Dijk was also angry about the penalty decision going against him.
Referee Tim Robinson initially awarded a free kick, but replays showed a foul had occurred on the box line and VAR awarded a penalty.
The Dutchman insisted that if his events warranted a spot-kick, it should have been awarded to Kodi Gakpo, who was brought down inside the area in the first half.
“I don’t think it was too obvious and obvious, but listen, the fact is he gave it and we have to deal with it,” the 34-year-old explained.
“But in my opinion, the first decision has to go to Cody. But that’s the way it is and we can’t change that. And while these decisions aren’t going our way at the moment, we have to deal with what we can control and we have to get better because it’s necessary, all of us.”
