At Brentford, Liverpool lose

Liverpool’s shocking 3-1 loss to Brentford on Monday hurt their chances of making it into the top four of the Premier League.

The beginning of 2023 was a nightmare for Jurgen Klopp’s team, and they alone are to blame for the horrific show in west London.

Ibrahima Konate’s own goal in the first half set the tone for a night in which Liverpool’s defence made many mistakes.

Although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled one back, Yoane Wissa increased Brentford’s advantage, and Bryan Mbeumo sealed Brentford’s first victory over Liverpool since 1938.

Konate shared most of the blame for Liverpool’s awful defensive display in his first game since helping France lose the World Cup final to Argentina in December.

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However, Liverpool’s performance, which left them in sixth position, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who play their game-in-hand against Bournemouth on Tuesday, was far from the only one that deserved criticism.

It was surprising how easily Liverpool fell apart, especially since seventh-placed Brentford hasn’t lost in the league in six games, including a great win over champions Manchester City right before the World Cup.

When Liverpool bought Darwin Nunez from Benfica for £64 million ($77 million) last year, he was another sign of how bad things were for the team.

The 23-year-old had 13 shots in his previous two league games without scoring, and at the Brentford Community Stadium, he was unlucky once more early on.

The Brentford defence was shaken by Mohamed Salah’s brilliant ball, and when Nunez went around David Raya, it appeared as though his barren streak would come to an end.

Nunez grabbed his head in surprise as Ben Mee dashed back to clear his attempt off the line.