LONDON -- The inquest began the moment the ball hit the back of the Liverpool net.

Kevin Schade had just scored to put Brentford 2-0 up against the champions and Virgil van Dijk turned to remonstrate with Cody Gakpo , who flailed his arms in response. Ibrahima Konaté looked down at the turf as he and his teammates trudged wearily back towards the centre circle.

For Liverpool -- who went on to lose the game 3-2 -- this is becoming an all too familiar routine.

The Reds have now lost four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2021, when a series of defensive injuries led to a spectacular implosion of the club's title defence. This time around, the mitigating circumstances are not as clear cut, but the outcome is the same: Liverpool are in crisis.

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