A horror-show performance from Alisson condemned holders Liverpool to an FA Cup third-round replay after they were held 2-2 by Wolves on Saturday.

The Reds goalkeeper was at direct fault for the visitors' opener and leaked a soft second, as Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan netted at Anfield.

Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah dug Jurgen Klopp's men out of danger between those Wolves strikes, while Cody Gakpo also impressed on his club debut.

Yet the lapses at the back proved costly for the holders, and Julen Lopetegui's visitors will feel they had their chances to claim an underdog win outright against the holders.

They certainly seized their opportunity in the 26th minute when Alisson fired a routine clearance straight to the unmarked Guedes, with the Portugal international lashing a low finish straight back past the Brazilian.

But Liverpool wrestled themselves back on the stroke of half-time after Nunez tucked home a sublime cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold with a deft volley.

Seven minutes after the interval, Gakpo helped put the hosts ahead after Salah finished his chipped ball, with the forward played onside by a botched Tote Gomes clearing header.

That looked like it could have been enough for the hosts, but Alisson was at fault again after Hwang was able to smother a tame shot past him at the left post in the 66th minute.

Hwang's goal sparked a frantic final stretch, with Wolves seeing a third goal chalked off by the linesman's flag in the closing stages, as neither could ultimately find the winner that would have avoided the need for a reunion at Molineux down the line.

In-demand forward Leandro Trossard must show full commitment to Brighton and Hove Albion if he is to return to their starting line-up, says head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Trossard has been linked with a move to Newcastle United or a reunion with former boss Graham Potter at Chelsea after impressing before the World Cup, though his form has tailed off badly since then.

The 28-year-old has seven goals in 16 Premier League appearances this season, but he was left out for the Seagulls' 4-1 thrashing of Everton on Tuesday after starting just once in Belgium's dire World Cup campaign.

Speaking to The Athletic, De Zerbi said of Trossard: "I think he's one of the best players for us and one of the most important players for us. 

"I'd like to always play with Leo in the first eleven, but it doesn't depend only on me, it depends on Leo. I want players that work for the team on the pitch and Leandro knows very well my opinion. I've spoken a lot of times with him.

"I like him as a player, but I want more from him, because he can play better, he can work harder, he can run more on the pitch.

"I want players who give 100 per cent in every training session and every game. Without these characteristics, they can't play with me."

Asked whether Trossard's experience in Qatar was to blame for his recent drop-off, the Italian said: "I don't know if it’s the World Cup. I have to watch what my player does on the pitch. 

"If there is a problem, I'm always open to understanding, but on the pitch I want 100 per cent always. I can't understand 80 per cent or 90 per cent."

Moises Caicedo is another Brighton player to be linked with a move, but the club's chief executive Paul Barber claims he is yet to field an offer from suitors including Liverpool and Chelsea, laughing off a reported £42million valuation of the midfielder. 

"I'm pleased to say we haven't had any [offers]. Maybe they haven't got my email because I haven't seen any," he told CBS Sports.

"I'm not sure £42m will even include his boots now, maybe just the laces. But joking aside, every player's value is ultimately determined by the market."

Josko Gvardiol named Liverpool as his "dream" destination as the RB Leipzig defender continues to attract interest from a host of Europe's biggest clubs.

Gvardiol has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid after enjoying an outstanding World Cup campaign with Croatia, starting all seven of his country's games as they clinched the bronze medal.

The 20-year-old led all defenders for interceptions (11) and clearances (37) at the tournament, also scoring with a brilliant diving header in his team's third-place play-off against Morocco.

Gvardiol partnered former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren at the heart of Croatia's defence in Qatar, and he is enthusiastic about the prospect of following in his footsteps by moving to Anfield. 

"My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool," he told RTLDanas. 

"Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad. We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart."

However, Gvardiol is in no rush to leave Leipzig – who sit third in the Bundesliga during the competition's mid-season break – before the end of the campaign. 

"I'm not in a hurry," he said. "I'm at Leipzig and we still have six months to finish the season and to win something. Then we will look further to the future."

Chelsea were strongly linked with a move for Gvardiol in the last transfer window before signing fellow defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana, and the Leipzig man revealed he was close to moving to Stamford Bridge. 

"Last summer a transfer was close and [Leipzig] simply kept me. I hope to spend these six months with [Leipzig]," he added. 

"Chelsea did not give up, but it was agreed that we would go for the winter. Winter has come, so we need to see what and how to proceed, but it's okay, there's still plenty of time, so we'll see.

"Nobody presented anything to me. But I'm not in a hurry, we have time, let them arrange the plan and we'll see."

Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his support for scrapping FA Cup replays ahead of holders Liverpool facing Wolves in the third round on Saturday.

Klopp has repeatedly called for FA Cup replays to be abolished in the past, and memorably allowed then-under-23s coach Neil Critchley to take charge of team made up entirely of youth players when Liverpool were taken to a second fixture by Shrewsbury Town in 2020.

FA Cup replays were removed for the 2020-21 season to avoid creating further fixture congestion in a campaign heavily impacted by COVID-19, and a report from The Times said leading figures in the English game discussed doing so permanently on Friday.

Klopp would be in favour of such a move, though acknowledged it would need to be accompanied by support for the smaller clubs that benefit from them financially. 

Asked if he would support the removal of replays at Friday's news conference, Klopp said: "Yeah, as always.

"We have to find other solutions. The lifeline for smaller clubs cannot be problems for the clubs that play every three days.

"There must be other solutions, and how often did it happen that a smaller club came through because of this extra game? 

"There's money involved, I understand that, and nobody wants to kill the smaller clubs, they have the same right to exist as all of us.

"But we cannot solve all the problems by playing more games – that's not possible and that's why I would be in favour of that, but I've said so many things in the last seven-and-a-half years and not many have happened."

Meanwhile, with Liverpool having a full week to prepare for their Premier League trip to Brighton and Hove Albion after facing Wolves, Klopp is not planning to make sweeping changes.

Asked how he would approach his team selection for Saturday's game, Klopp said: "It doesn't change. The only time it will change is with the amount of games around, so if you play say, Saturday then Tuesday, you have to think about it.

"In our case, we played Monday last time, then Saturday, then Saturday again. So it's clear we will line up as good, as strong and as experienced as we can. There will not be rotation because of the competition or whatever, no."

Liverpool ended a 16-year wait to lift the FA Cup last season, beating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw at Wembley Stadium – as they did in the EFL Cup final.

However, Wolves have eliminated Liverpool from the competition twice during Klopp's time in charge, beating them 2-1 as a Championship side at Anfield in 2017 before winning by the same scoreline at Molineux two years later.

Cody Gakpo's decision to join Liverpool without a guarantee of Champions League qualification delighted Jurgen Klopp, who has "no doubts at all" about the forward ahead of his Reds debut.

Liverpool beat several clubs – including rivals Manchester United – to Gakpo's signature by agreeing a deal worth an initial £37million (€42m) with PSV shortly before the transfer window opened.

Gakpo was unable to make his debut in Monday's 3-1 Premier League defeat at Brentford after a delay in ratifying the move, but he is available for Saturday's FA Cup tie against Wolves. 

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of that fixture, Klopp said Gakpo's decision to join a team seven points adrift of a top-four place said a lot about his personality.

"We had information about him as a person from Virgil [van Dijk] so not only were there few doubts, there were no doubts at all," Klopp said. "We're very happy with the signing.

"There were easier moments to join Liverpool. Last year, we were not qualified already for the Champions League, but it looked likely. This year we can't guarantee that, but Cody never asked. 

"What I like about this is he's not a guy that wants to jump on a moving train, he's a guy that wants to push the train. So good for him, as well. It always helps in life if you are like that."

Gakpo scored three goals as the Netherlands reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar after providing 12 goals and nine assists for PSV through their first 14 games of the Eredivisie season.

While Klopp is excited to see the 23-year-old in action, he is unwilling to compare him to Luis Diaz, who made a terrific impact for Liverpool after his own mid-season arrival from Porto 12 months ago.

"With our situation, with injuries to the strikers, it's nice to have a player who is natural in lots of things and knows where the goal is," Klopp said of Gakpo. 

"He looks really good, he looks really promising. He looks fit. Is he 100 per cent fit? I don't know, he had a few times with us where he couldn't train with the team. Now he's with the team. The sessions have been intense for him because it's different.

"I'm very positive about him. I don't know if it's helpful to compare him with Lucho's impact – it was pretty special. We had injuries [last season] and it was extremely helpful. 

"Cody gets the same amount of time as any other player. He has to settle in offensively, he comes from a different league. I don't have to compare him to Lucho, but we expect a positive impact, definitely."

Klopp also dismissed suggestions he had been irked by Liverpool's failure to have Gakpo available sooner, adding: "If our Premier League game [at Brentford] had been last night, maybe he could have played, but for us in this moment, it's absolutely perfect. 

"Normally in January business happens later, but in this case we were pretty early, so I'm completely fine with the situation." 

Virgil van Dijk will be out of action for over a month after sustaining a hamstring injury in Liverpool's defeat to Brentford earlier this week, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

Defender Van Dijk was one of three players substituted at half-time in Liverpool's damaging 3-1 loss at the Brentford Community Stadium, which saw them lose ground in the race for a top-four Premier League finish.

Klopp described Van Dijk's withdrawal as precautionary after the game, but reports later in the week suggested the Netherlands captain's injury was worse than initially feared.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie against Wolves, Klopp provided an estimated timeframe for Van Dijk's return and described his absence as a significant setback.

"On Virg, it's a surprise and obviously a big blow, as he didn't feel a lot," Klopp said at Friday's pre-match press conference. 

"I took him off actually, to avoid the risk, maybe he would have tried [to play on] and stuff like this.

"In the end, the diagnosis was pretty harsh. They talk about weeks – more than a month. 

"We have to see how it goes but we have other centre-halves. Everything is okay for the team but for Virg, it's hard for him. He's played an incredible amount of games over the last few years.

"We cannot use him on the pitch, only off the pitch, so we will do that."

Asked whether the congested festive fixture list had caused Van Dijk's injury, Klopp responded: "It's his hamstring. 

"He never had an issue with muscles or mentioned anything, between the games he was recovering.

"There's nothing to say about it, we did nothing different. It was one sprint."

As well as Saturday's meeting with Wolves, Van Dijk now appears likely to miss Premier League fixtures against Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea before the end of January.

Klopp will be desperate to have Van Dijk available for a crucial spell next month, in which Liverpool face Merseyside rivals Everton and fellow top-four contenders Newcastle United before playing the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain are regularly a topic of transfer speculation, with plenty of discussion around Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi recently.

But Neymar is another who has been linked with a move away from Parc des Princes in the past, having been with PSG since 2017.

The former Barcelona forward signed a contract extension in 2021 after originally joining on a five-year deal.

TOP STORY – PSG OPEN TO OFFERS FOR NEYMAR IN JANUARY

Paris Saint-Germain have put Brazil superstar Neymar up for sale, according to Fichajes.

The French champions are willing to listen to offers for the 30-year-old, who is contracted until 2025.

The report claims PSG have lowered their price to €50million, which may attract the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

 

ROUND-UP

– The Mail reports Manchester United have opened talks with Monaco defender Axel Disasi, although the 24-year-old is also being tracked by a few other Premier League clubs.

– Manchester United target Mohammed Kudus has had a £40m price tag slapped on him by his Dutch club Ajax, claims The Star. The 22-year-old Ghana midfielder impressed at the World Cup.

– Real Madrid are bullish about their prospects of beating Liverpool in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, claims Marca.

– Calciomercato reports Madrid will rival Juventus in the chase to sign 18-year-old right-back Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid.

– Sevilla are circling to sign Sergio Ramos once his PSG contract expires at the end of this season, claims Fichajes, although he will need to take a pay cut for the move to transpire.

– Fabrizio Romano reports struggling Premier League club Southampton have agreed to a £6m deal to sign Croatia international Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb.

Mykhaylo Mudryk has informed Shakhtar Donetsk that he wants to join Arsenal amid talk of interest from Chelsea, reports 90min.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes a revamped version of the European Super League could launch as soon as 2025, without any Premier League clubs taking part.

Barca, along with Real Madrid and Juventus, remained committed to the Super League project in the aftermath of a failed launch in April 2021, though the other nine founding clubs quickly withdrew their support.

In October, it was revealed that plans were afoot to revive the competition, with A22 Sports Management chief executive Bernd Reichart promising an "open format" as he sought support for the proposal.

UEFA called the Super League's supporters "greedy" after meeting with Reichart the following month, while European Union Court of Justice [CJUE] advocate general Athanasios Rantos dealt a blow to the proposed competition by stating UEFA and FIFA could lawfully sanction participating clubs. 

However, Laporta remains optimistic regarding the Super League project, with the remaining clubs hopeful the CJUE will rule any UEFA sanctions are incompatible with EU competition law.

"In March or April we will have the CJUE ruling. It will be a very important sentence and I think it will benefit the clubs," Laporta told Cadena SER on Thursday.

"The Super League will be an open competition. I would not have entered this project if the competition was not open. 

"We want the governance to belong to the clubs. I hope that UEFA will occupy one more chair at the governance table. If the resolution is favourable, I think the Super League will be a reality in 2025."

All six of the Premier League clubs originally involved in the Super League – Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool – withdrew their support following a fierce public and media backlash to the plans in 2021.

Laporta does not expect any English sides to participate in the first edition of any future Super League, though he believes they will eventually join the competition if it succeeds.

"We will have a European competition that competes with the Premier League," he said. "I believe that the English teams will not enter at first. 

"We'd love for them to come in, but my opinion is that initially, they won't. I believe that everything will end with a merger later."

One feature of Laporta's tenure as Barca president has been his poor relationship with LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who he believes is not doing enough to ensure Spanish clubs can compete with their English counterparts.

"Our personal relationship has never been bad, but it has been tense. Tebas is a complicated person," he said. "He should be more concerned with recovering subscribers to football on television, increasing the income of Spanish football.

"We are defenders of financial control, but if you make a comparison between the Premier and the Spanish league... it is up to us to make them look at it."

Manchester United continue to be the centre of plenty of January transfer window speculation.

Erik ten Hag's side are likely to be active in the transfer market following Cristiano Ronaldo's exit.

United are in the mix for a top-four finish but want to bolster their squad in January to boost their chances.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD TO OFFER €4M FOR WANTAWAY ATLETICO STAR

Manchester United are some way from making an agreement with Atletico Madrid on a loan deal for Joao Felix, with the Red Devils prepared to offer only €4million (£3.5m), reports Relevo.

According to the report, Atleti want €12-13m (£10.6m-£11.4m) for the 23-year-old Portuguese striker.

There has been no shortage of clubs linked with Felix, including Arsenal, but United are firmly in the mix for a cut-price forward option.

 

ROUND-UP

Chelsea are willing to beat any offer Arsenal make for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhaylo Mudryk, according to the Independent. The Mail claims the Ukrainian club will turn down Arsenal's latest £62m offer.

 Borussia Dortmund are monitoring the availability of Real Madrid's 18-year-old Nico Paz, claims Defensa Central. Real Valladolid and Getafe are also keen on taking him on loan.

– Sky Germany reports Liverpool's Roberto Firmino is drawing interest from Saudi Arabian clubs but the Brazilian is leaning towards extending his Anfield stay.

– Sport claims Barcelona will sign Inigo Martinez from Athletic Bilbao when his contract expires in mid-year.

– Barcelona are willing to let 20-year-old midfielder Ansu Fati go out on loan during the January transfer window to make space for new signings, reports Fichajes.

– Fabrizio Romano reports that Ajax have reached full agreement with Villarreal on a deal for Argentinian goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who will travel to Amsterdam to sign and undergo medical tests in the next 24 hours.

Manchester United have missed out on signing Borussia Monchengladbach's Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer who has reached a verbal agreement to join Bayern Munich, according to Sky Germany.

Bayern Munich, Newcastle United and Chelsea are reportedly all interested in promising Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Meslier, 22, arrived at Elland Road on loan as a 19-year-old in 2019, forcing his way into the starting role as they won the Championship and earned promotion before the club made his deal permanent for £5million.

Since then, he has become the youngest goalkeeper to reach 50 Premier League appearances, and the youngest goalkeeper to tally 10 Premier League clean sheets, earning 11 caps for France's under-21 team in the process.

His exploits – including a season-high nine saves in a 2-1 win against Liverpool in October – have caught the eye of some of Europe's big spenders, and Leeds could be forced into a tough decision sooner rather than later.

 

TOP STORY – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPEFULS QUEUE UP FOR LEEDS' MESLIER

According to RMC Sport, Bayern view Meslier as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer, although they need the reinforcements as soon as possible due to Neuer's season-ending injury.

Leeds will be in the driver's seat in negotiations, however, with Meslier's contract tying him to the club until 2026.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Newcastle have been impressed with his performances in the Premier League and would like to add him to their ranks.

It was reported two weeks ago by the Daily Mail that Eduoard Mendy had rejected a six-year contract extension from Chelsea, which would add fuel to this fire, while it is unclear how Newcastle view Nick Pope in their long-term plans.

 

ROUND-UP

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting Bayern, Newcastle, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain will all make a run at signing 21-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone at the end of the season.

– According to The Times, Brentford are in the final stages of a £22m move for 21-year-old Freiburg forward Kevin Schade.

Chelsea will make a late charge for 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger and Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Calciomercato is reporting 24-year-old Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has turned down transfers to Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the hope of landing at a bigger club.

– According to The Athletic, Manchester United could still sell right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka this month despite starting in all three of United's wins since the Premier League season resumed.

Liverpool are "not a Jurgen Klopp team" at the moment, according to Jamie Carragher, who was scathing of the Reds' lacklustre performance in Monday's defeat at Brentford.

A deserved 3-1 victory for Thomas Frank's Bees further compounded the woes of the Merseyside outfit, who have struggled to recapture the highs of last season this term.

Since restarting their campaign after the World Cup concluded last month, Liverpool have been knocked out of the EFL Cup and staggered to muted Premier League wins against Aston Villa and Leicester City.

Defeat to an energetic Brentford side leaves them four points adrift of the Premier League's top four, and Carragher feels they no longer possess the characteristics associated with their decorated manager.

"That has been a theme of Liverpool all season," the former Reds defender told Sky Sports. "As soon as the intensity of a game rises, they cannot cope.

"They need to play a slower type of game because as soon as it goes fast, they are not at the races, they cannot keep up with it.

"When I watch Liverpool now, and certainly in midfield, it feels like Jurgen Klopp's team is morphing into something else.

"For me, from minute one of Klopp's era, teams were sprinting all over the pitch. When I don't see Liverpool sprinting and closing down now, it is not a Jurgen Klopp team and I want to know why."

Liverpool have already sought to bolster their ranks with the signing of Cody Gakpo, but Carragher claims offensive power is not their foremost issue, calling for the arrival of a midfielder.

"I don't know what has happened to Liverpool in terms of midfield," he added. "[They] have bought one midfield player in four-and-a-half years in Thiago [Alcantara]. It is coming back to haunt them now.

"They have signed Cody Gakpo [but] if Liverpool think they can make the top four without signing a midfield player in this window, they have got no chance."

Virgil van Dijk's half-time withdrawal in Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Brentford was a precautionary measure after the defender struggled with the intensity of the game, Jurgen Klopp explained.

With an Ibrahima Konate own goal and a Yoane Wissa header putting Liverpool 2-0 down before the break, Klopp rang the changes by removing Van Dijk, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Harvey Elliott from the action.

While replacements Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson and Naby Keita initially had a positive impact, they were unable to stop the Reds from sliding to their first defeat against the Bees since 1938.

Van Dijk began the game as captain with both Jordan Henderson and James Milner out, and his withdrawal led to suggestions he had sustained an injury.

However, Klopp outlined his belief that the Netherlands skipper had avoided any lasting damage in his post-match press conference, revealing: "Virgil felt a little bit the muscle but said he is fine, and he's a very good judge of these kinds of things. 

"But I didn't want to take any risk – the physios looked quite happy when I said we don't take risks. I think it is not an injury, he just felt the intensity.

"The other two were tactical. We obviously had the opportunities.

"We could bring in Naby, who I think played a really good game, and Robbo – and Robbo with the first action after half-time was exactly what we needed. 

"We needed that speed in behind and so that was the reason for these two changes."

Liverpool's loss at the Brentford Community Stadium dealt a huge blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification, leaving them four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United having played a game more.

Jurgen Klopp accused Brentford of "stretching the rules" after Liverpool fell to a shock 3-1 defeat against the Bees on Monday.

An Ibrahima Konate own goal and a Yoane Wissa header put Liverpool two goals down before half-time, as Klopp's side struggled to cope with Brentford's set-piece deliveries.

Liverpool made three changes at the break – including Virgil van Dijk coming off – and the alterations looked to have given the Reds hope when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled a goal back on his 100th Premier League appearance for the club.

However, Bryan Mbeumo put the game to bed when he muscled Konate off the ball before lashing home late on to give Brentford their first win over Liverpool since 1938.

Klopp was frustrated after a game in which he perceived Brentford to have bent the rules, while he criticised referee Stuart Attwell's failure to take action over their behaviour during set-pieces.

"I'm not sure you can really control it all the time because each corner is a massive threat," Klopp told Sky Sports. "They stretch the rules in these moments with full body contact.

"There was only one offensive foul on a set-piece tonight which was whistled and that was against us, which is really funny. Holding is holding, and pushing is pushing.

"It was more the game they wanted than the one we wanted. They could dictate it because of how it got whistled.

"The two corners they scored with, one was offside and the other one, of course we don't behave perfectly, but they stretch rules. They are really pushing, they are really holding. That's obviously what you can do.

"The third goal I can really not respect. The ref thought it wasn't a foul and then VAR hides behind the phrase 'clear and obvious'. The referee has to explain that, if anybody could ask him.

"There's a reason why they are so successful with offensive set-pieces and still concede a lot of defensive goals around set-pieces, because there you cannot do the same stuff because in your own box, it would be a penalty."

While Klopp was angered by the officiating, he did not excuse his team from criticism, saying: "We have to point at ourselves. In the end, you don't lose a game if you do everything right. We did, for sure, not everything right.

"We are very critical of ourselves, and rightly so tonight. There were moments where we could have changed the game."

Darwin Nunez missed a golden opportunity to give Liverpool an early lead, rounding David Raya only to be denied by Ben Mee's goal-line block. No player has missed more big chances in the Premier League this season than Nunez's 15.

Klopp lamented his side's wastefulness in front of goal, adding: "We concede the first goal when we should already be 2-0 up, with super chances from Darwin and from Kostas [Tsimikas]. Darwin Nunez doesn't expect Ben Mee sliding there.

"In the next situation, they play a ball behind the line and we are not there, that's a massive point for criticism."

Liverpool's top-four hopes were dented as Brentford capitalised on woeful defending to win 3-1 on Monday.

Brentford tasted success against Liverpool for the first time since 1938 as goals from Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo, after Ibrahima Konate's own goal, sealed victory in the absence of talisman Ivan Toney at Brentford Community Stadium.

Losing 2-0 at half-time, Jurgen Klopp rang the changes, including replacing Virgil van Dijk, and Liverpool had hope thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's 50th-minute header.

Yet Mbuemo pounced on Konate's mistake late on to kill the game off and snap Liverpool's four-match winning streak in the Premier League.

An Mbeumo shot was palmed away for a corner early on, but Brentford had their opener from the resulting set-piece – Konate diverting into his own net from Mbeumo's inswinger.

Brentford's threat from corners continued, with Wissa twice having the ball in the net, only for the offside flag to twice come to Liverpool's salvation.

Wissa would not be denied a third time though, heading home from Mathias Jensen's cross, with Alisson unable to scoop the ball away before it crossed the line.

Klopp made a triple-change at the break and it looked to have made an instant impact when Darwin Nunez lashed in, but a VAR check showed he was offside.

Liverpool had one back shortly after when Trent Alexander-Arnold's sublime cross was met by Oxlade-Chamberlain on his 100th league appearance for the Reds.

Yet having weathered the storm, Brentford wrapped up a memorable, deserved victory with six minutes remaining, muscling Konate off the ball before drilling beyond Alisson.

Virgil van Dijk has not given up on Liverpool's Premier League title hopes despite being 15 points behind Arsenal.

The Reds came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 at Anfield on Friday thanks to two Wout Faes own goals, making it four league wins on the bounce for Jurgen Klopp's men.

Van Dijk previously acknowledged Liverpool's performance against the Foxes had been underwhelming, but results are suddenly looking up for a side that had headed into November with just two wins – and three defeats – in seven top-flight games.

Liverpool are four points adrift of great rivals Manchester United in fourth, and yet Van Dijk is still not admitting defeat in the Premier League title race, even though Arsenal are starting to create a handsome lead over everyone.

For Van Dijk, this belief and motivation has partly come from his experience at the World Cup, where the Netherlands were eliminated by eventual winners Argentina in a feisty quarter-final.

He remains hopeful of international success being just around the corner, and this mentality is seemingly keeping his eyes on the prize with Liverpool as well.

"Things were disappointing in the end [for the Netherlands], that is also part of football," he told reporters.

"It was a tough couple of days but then it was about switching back towards the most important things in life; my wife and kids.

"It fuels me because I want to be successful with the Netherlands. I feel like we have a fantastic squad and new era with Ronald Koeman coming back and young players coming through, like Cody [Gakpo] for example. He can make big steps with his transfer [to Liverpool] and then become more important [for the Netherlands].

"Hopefully we can do something nice in the summer with the Nations League finals, that is something I really want to win, even though it is the end of the season when you are absolutely shattered.

"It has also motivated me here. We are quite some points behind Arsenal, but the season could be a very crazy one, a very strange one.

"But we have to be realistic and we're not thinking about the title at the moment. We have to focus on the game ahead of us, win games and then we'll see."

Liverpool are next in action away to Brentford on Monday.

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