Match Report: Brentford vs Liverpool (25.10.25) L3-2

Well, it’s Saturday night and the missus has the perfect weekend treat as the football’s on TNT Sports and wqe get to watch that for the evening. Who says romance is dead?

First thing that’s noticeable is that we’re in an away green kit. Also, it is weird seeing Jordan Henderson squaring off against us in opposition colours. I was always a keen fan of our former captain. He is a remarkable player of world class quality.

Oh God! Terrible start… within first five minutes, we were torn about by a Brentford trademark long throw. Straight into the six yard area, where the Liverpool defence were quite frankly, fast asleep. A buzzing knock on for Dango Ouattara to volley it into the back of the net. Another lack of clean sheet for our replacement keeper, Mamardashvili.

A few minutes later and Gakpo managed to set Salah loose into the box but Salah wasn’t quite ready and muffed it up. He isn’t up to his usual standards yet and needs to pull his finger out and sort it out for us…. I think Salah is a bit unsettled in not knowing his role amidst the massive influx of new signings. Perhaps, the dressing room is a bit different and unsettled as characters define themselves and their place in the team?

I’ve noticed that, so far, it’s quite an open, expansive game. There is a lot of available space on the pitch and it doesn’t seem that either side is doing much pressing. This should really play into Liverpool’s hands as technically we are a stronger side.

At 19 minutes, Ekitike does a audacious back heel, into the path of Florian Wirtz, who has a good pop at the target but, unfortunately it drifts wide of the left post.

Kerkez makes a good break down the left but his cross into the central strikers leaves a lot to be desired and just fades into keeper, Kelleher’s opne arms. I kind of miss Byron Kelleher too. He was a classy reserve keeper for us. Top notch. I can see that he needs first team action that might have precipatated his transfer but he is a good keeper.

At 31 minutes, a buoyant Jordan Henderson steps forward and, from just outside the box, he has a shot on goal which is off target, thankfully. Brentford have bene putting on a bit of offensive pressure over the past 5-10 minutes. They are certainly not here just to make up the numbers. Their last victory against West Ham was quite convincing and here, at home, they are still in high spirits.

It’s been relentless, the last 20 minutes or so. Brentford have had LFC right on the back foot, We’ve been having to defend. With a combination of long throws and a very competitive midfield battle, Brentford have us pinned back. On one attack, the ball fell nicely for Mikkel Damsgaard to have a thunderous strike on goal for our keeper to do a wonderful parry to keep it out. I think it’s the first positive word I’ve had to say about Mamardashvili in this blog. I got to stop being negative. I’m sure he must be a good standard of player to be in our squad in the first place.

With a few minutes to go in the first half, Gakpo has a questionable fall inside the box but the ref just waves play on.

Careless play by the Liverpool mifield, gives the ball away. Mikkel Damsgaard plays a visionary long through ball forward for Kevin Schade to break clear and head staright in on goal with Konate, chasing behind, left for dust, The pass through was incisive. The keeper has no chance as Schade puts the home side two up at half time. It’s so frustrating, as a Liverpool fan, to just be waving goodbye to our hard won title, so early on at this stage of the season. I think I’d be better off starting a ‘Highbury is a Library’ blog instead of Gerrard The Red.

Well, I spoke too soon: perhaps the Highbury library is getting too noisy? Milos Kirkez, a minute past the allocated time for the half to last, much to the frustration and later boos from the Brentford crowd, manages to bang in a Connor Bradley low cross and now we only trail 2-1 at half time. There is a path to recovery…. It’s yet another nailbiter for us supporters of the Scouse.

The seond half gets underway and no real change with Liverpool not really turning up for the occasion. at 53 minutes Kevin Schade breaks and squares it through to Igor Thiago who kind of muffs up his opportunity and Mamardashvili just manages to block the effort. Lucky for us, avoiding that encounter from the bees.

It ceratinly doesn’t get any better for LIverpool as Virgil Van Dijk has a dodgy challenge right on the line of the penalty box and Ouatarra goes down. Igor Thiago converts the penalty to put the score to a horrendous 3-1 to Brentford. It’s a Saturday night of Liverpool nightmares, unfortunately.

Arne Slot’s response is to bring on Chiesa for Gakpo and Connor Bradley makes way too for the experience of Andy Robertson and Alexis MacAllister takes the place of Milos KIrkez. It’s the first time we’ve conceded three goals this season. The catalyst from the bench needs to produce some real results.

Outarra keep sup the pressure but his header froma. very decent cross cannot stay on target. We just look so out of sorts and not up to Premiership speed. It’s like there has beena psychological collapse in morale or something. The lads really need to pull their fingers out and have a good look at themselves. We shouldn’t be getting such terrible results ina League that we won last year and were totally dominant in. I do blame the massive squad changes but it’s no good whingeing – it’s happened now and we have to live with it.

Damsgaard and Schade go off in changes for Brentford. They have both had a good game. Keane Lewis-Potter and Mathias Jensen come on.

Liverpool just don’t seem to have any incisive action at all. Nothing is being delivered in the box. There just isn’t enough action or movement. Salah is just drifting asimlessly out wide and needs to pull his finger out and start cutting in and driving the team forward with his attacks. They are just lacklustre all in all and have zero confidence. They need a good shakeup. Christ: send the team out to sunny Dubai or something ona. teambuilding holiday…. They need some form of tonic because this is not the Liveprool from last season at all.

Ah finally, he’s heard my criticism.  Szoboszlai delivers a good cross and Salah takes it under his control and volleys it into the back of the net with his right boot. He’s back, at last, the Egyptian King! A good goal, 3-2 down with seven minutes of stoppage time left for us to recover something.

Igor Thiago takes a fall in the box, trying to claim a penalty yet ref gives nothing and he stays down injured fo rages so this is just going to add to the tension of the already quite massive amount of injury time. When the game gets back going a bit of handbags at forty paces between Chiesa and Keane Lewis-Potter who gets a yellow card.

We don’t seem that hungry to be fair for this equaliser…. I can’t see it materialising. It’s just not our day… I’m just not getting excited by any of our players really, this season. Nobody is standing out and saying ‘We are Liverpool, we are world class.’ I think the league is already a write off. We just have to hope for a good run in the Champions League. This is my choice of competition. It is the best of the best in the European Cup.

Andy Robertson is getting irate with the ref delaying the game constantly – he’ll get a Glaswegian Kiss if he carries on the old ref, ya know! He does desreve one for giving a penalty against us. Sort him out, Scottish Andy!

Next Thiago goes into the book for chucking the ball away and wasting time. It’s getting messy out there. A swarm of bees is getting angry. Come on Redmen let’s steal a bit of honey from the West London hive!

Geez, Salah has a chance, even Gomez has a go and Szoboszlai blasts a shot that is parried and is our last chance. Final whistle. Another defeat in the Premiership for the Reds. Where has our might gone? a shocking Saturday night for us.

The irony is that Jordan Henderson was probably man of the match. I still don’t fully understand why he left our club. I mean LFC or Brentford? Yes they got the better of us today but there is no real comparison. Hendo could still very much be a key part of our team. He was essential really to us and a great captain. Stuck in the past, as ever, I am…. It’s the long 30 year wait for a title that enforces that mentality in me as a Liverpool supporter…. While we are at it, someone should check to see if Rushie is available and Dalgleish surely still has his boots?

Mohammed Ali stings like a bee, Arne Slot gets stung be a bee. #ynwa