Liverpool have managed to do something tonight that hasn’t happened in nearly three decades — and Arne Slot definitely won’t be pleased about it.
If Liverpool are to avoid a fourth straight Premier League defeat tonight, they’ll need to do it the hard way.
Just five minutes into the clash at the Gtech Community Stadium, the Reds were undone by a long throw from Brentford’s Michael Kayode, which Dango Ouattara pounced on to put the hosts ahead from close range.
It marks the sixth consecutive match in which Arne Slot’s side have conceded first, continuing a worrying pattern of early setbacks in domestic competition. In recent weeks, Liverpool have fallen behind to quick goals from Eddie Nketiah (9 minutes), Moises Caicedo (14 minutes), and Bryan Mbeumo (after just 60 seconds).
Liverpool equal a 30-year unwanted record
Opta’s Michael Reid quickly pointed out a grim statistic for Liverpool supporters, noting on X:
“Liverpool have conceded in the opening 15 minutes of four straight Premier League games for the first time since January 1996.”
It’s a frustrating and unsustainable trend that Slot will be desperate to end.
Back in that 1995/96 run, Roy Evans’ Liverpool managed to avoid defeat in all four of those fixtures—against Arsenal (3-1), Chelsea (2-2), Nottingham Forest (4-2), and Sheffield Wednesday (1-1).
Slot’s men have already shown their resilience this season, bouncing back from Rasmus Kristensen’s early strike to score five in midweek, and staging several comebacks during last season’s title-winning campaign.
However, with the champions starting the evening in sixth place, another early setback will no doubt frustrate the manager, particularly given how poorly his side defended the long throw that led to Brentford’s opener.
Liverpool left it late to win at this ground nine months ago, and there’s still time to turn it around tonight. But if the Reds are serious about securing a top-four finish—let alone defending their title—they must put an end to this alarming habit of conceding inside the opening quarter-hour.
