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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher slammed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliot for their role in the Reds' 3-1 loss to Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium. The game was marked by Liverpool's difficulty in dealing with the aerial threat posed by the home side.
Carragher was unhappy with the team's performance and specifically mentioned the right-back for his defending and Elliot for his dummy attempt. Speaking to Sky Sports after the first-half (via Express), the Reds legend said:
"Absolutely shambolic. It [Liverpool’s free-kick] should go long, can you believe Harvey Elliott actually dummies it in a position like that?"
After a goal by Brentford was disallowed for offside, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson restarted play with a free-kick. Elliot dummied the pass, but the ball ended up with a Brentford player. Unfortunately for the 19-year-old, the Bees scored from the resulting attack through Yoane Wissa.
Carragher continued, praising the Bees and slamming Alexander-Arnold:
"But this is fantastic from Brentford, and Wissa at the back post - that is a great header. It’s not an easy one, the pace on the cross is just absolutely fantastic. If you look at Alexander-Arnold again at the back post, Ollie Watkins scored a goal like this against them a couple [of] games ago, he’s not offside, and it’s a fantastic header."
Carragher also praised the goal-line technology due to which the goal was awarded.
“That’s also why we’ve got technology in the game, because that proves that ball went over the line. You see Trent coming in, he’s in the wrong position, worrying about what’s behind him.”
Alexander-Arnold has previously been criticized for his inability to prevent his opponents from scoring headers. Clearly, Carragher believes the right-back's poor defending contributed to the Reds conceding another goal.
Liverpool lose 3-1 to Brentford: Match review
Brentford pulled off a surprising victory over Jurgen Klopp's side in the Premier League in their first game of 2023. This marked the first time Brentford have defeated the Reds since 1938.
In the 19th minute, Ibrahima Konate scored an own goal after a corner, and Yoane Wissa added a second for Brentford before halftime. Notably, two of Brentford's goals from Wissa were disallowed by VAR in the first half.
After the break, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored for the Reds as Alexander-Arnold provided a sumptuous assist. However, Bryan Mbeumo scored a third for Brentford, securing a historic win for the team and moving them up to seventh place in the table with 26 points from 18 games.
Brentford have now defeated three of the biggest clubs in the league already this season, following previous wins over Manchester United and Manchester City. Liverpool's four-game winning streak was broken, and the team ended the day in sixth place, only two points ahead of Brentford.
