File it under New Year’s hangover! Liverpool have lost to Brentford away 3-1 (2-0) in one of the season’s worst performances that saw Jurgen Klopp’s side making too many dreadful errors on both ends in the first game of 2023.African gems Wissa and Mbeumo joined forces to replace Brentford’s absent star, Ivan Toney, putting three behind Alisson for a deserved win.Unlike the hosts, the visiting forwards Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez ended the match with no goals on their accounts which proved crucial for the outcome of the Monday night game.Jurgen Klopp’s reaction while losing 3-1 to Brentford 😬 pic.twitter.com/TBTZZ3T5tu— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 2, 2023 Despite 76% of the ball possession, the visitors conceded a staggering four goals in the first half, of which two were voided due to offside. It could have gone in a different direction if it wasn’t for the Nunez sitter eight minutes into the game. Salah launched an amazing through ball, the Uruguayan even managed to go past the keeper but then, instead of a proper finishing inside the six-yard box, he saw his poor shot stopped by Brentford’s sweeper Mee near the goal-line.Would YOU have scored from here? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qbO0UjFBGD— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) January 2, 2023 A few minutes later, Nunez lost the ball near the penalty area, and the Bees were quick on the counter. Alisson denied Mbeumo’s fine effort as Brentford were rewarded with only a corner kick.However, Mbeumo’s cross went straight onto Konate’s leg, and the Reds’ defender accidentally found the back of his own net for 1-0.Instead of fighting back, Klopp’s team turned their shambolic mode totally on, conceding three more before halftime. Wissa scored two goals that were rightfully disallowed for offside, but he kept emerging all over the place as Liverpool’s tragic defence couldn’t get a grip at all.Captain Virgil van Dijk was displaying one of his worst performances since joining the Merseyside club, with Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold joining him in those horrible attempts of man-marking, especially during the set pieces.After one such situation, Wissa finally got his name deservedly on a scoresheet as the Bees went two goals up just near the halftime interval.With that sort of horror underway, Klopp needed to react fast and accurately. He left his captain on the bench, along with Tsimikas and Elliot, hoping to finally impose some order on the pitch with the experienced trio of Matip, Keita and Robertson.It paid off for the German gaffer almost instantly, as Darwin netted just like he should have many times prior, but the agony was prolonged since he was offside seconds before receiving the ball.BRENTFORD FC 2-1 LIVERPOOL FC❌ 48′ Darwin Núñez disallowed goal (#LFC)pic.twitter.com/7WBOVwmmhd— All goals replay (@goalsreplayg) January 2, 2023 With such an atrocious output of his forwards, Oxlade-Chamberlain had to step up only two minutes later with a splendid header following TAA’s cross on the far post.At that moment, it seemed like a deja vu, with Thomas Frank’s outfit risking to recreate the entire recent tie against Tottenham when they also dropped a 2-0 lead in the second half.However, the Danish gaffer trusted his squad and made no changes at all until the last 20 minutes. His desire was obvious to make them fight on their own against the favourites and avoid succumbing to pressure.The Bees sting twice before hollow Spurs suddenly awake to save the dignity and a pointAnd they had got the message. Excluding Salah and Konate, with back-to-back chances with ten minutes left on the clock, the hosts built a massive wall and defended like true pros for the rest of the game.On the other end, Mbeumo shined again, with the Cameroonian forward seizing the opportunity after another Konate’s defensive mistake to put the cherry on top for 3-1.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – Matchday 19MondayBrentford – Liverpool 3-1 (2-0)/Konate 19 og, Wissa 42, Mbeumo 84 – Oxlade-Chamberlain 50/Tuesday22.45: (2.25) Leicester (3.40) Fulham (3.20)22.45: (1.85) Arsenal (3.70) Newcastle (4.60)22.45: (3.60) Everton (3.30) Brighton (2.25)23.00: (1.30) Man.Utd. (5.70) Bournemouth (9.00)Wednesday22.30: (2.10) Southampton (3.50) Nott.Forest (3.80)22.45: (2.65) Leeds (3.25) West Ham (2.70)23.00: (2.05) Aston Villa (3.50) Wolverhampton (3.90)23.00: (3.35) Crystal Palace (3.40) Tottenham (2.30)Thursday23.00: (5.50) Chelsea (3.90) Man.City (1.70)***odds are subject to change
