Liverpool suffer another setback with 2-3 defeat at Brentford despite late Salah strike
Liverpool’s struggles continued as they fell 2-3 to Brentford away from home, with Mohamed Salah’s late goal offering only brief hope in the dying moments.
From the opening whistle, Brentford unsettled Liverpool’s defense. In just the fifth minute, a long throw-in caused confusion inside the box, and the ball deflected off Dango Ouattara into the net, giving the hosts an early 1-0 advantage. Liverpool quickly looked for a response, with Salah nearly equalizing, but goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher stood firm to keep his side ahead.
Brentford doubled their lead in the 45th minute when Kevin Schade latched onto a pinpoint pass from Mikkel Damsgaard and calmly slotted home to make it 2-0. Liverpool, however, found a lifeline just before halftime as Milos Kerkez pounced on a loose ball in the area and smashed it in to reduce the deficit to 2-1 going into the break.
At the restart, Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a triple substitution in hopes of turning things around, but defensive lapses persisted. On the hour mark, VAR confirmed a penalty for Brentford after a foul inside the box. Igor Thiago made no mistake from the spot, restoring the two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Liverpool increased the pressure in the final minutes and were rewarded in the 89th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai whipped in a precise cross that Salah controlled superbly before unleashing a powerful shot that crashed off the crossbar and into the net to make it 3-2. Despite dominating stoppage time, the Reds couldn’t find the equalizer.
The loss marks Liverpool’s fourth defeat in their last five Premier League fixtures—a concerning slump that drops them to sixth place with 15 points from nine games. Brentford, meanwhile, climb into the top 10 with 13 points, maintaining their strong home form.
