Jordan Henderson used his post-match briefing after Brentford’s result against Liverpool to offer a measured assessment of his former club and to appeal for patience from their supporters.

Having faced Liverpool for the first time since leaving the club in 2023, Henderson encouraged backing for Arne Slot’s side while acknowledging their recent run of poor results. He stressed his view that quality remains across the Liverpool squad.

“You look all over the pitch, there’s not much to go at, they’re all quality players,” he said. “I don’t really see a weakness in the team.

“I know there’s been results of late that haven’t been great for them but, for me, they’re still top players and a top, top team and it’s a matter of time before they get in a rhythm and get going.

“I think there’s been reasons why they haven’t hit the heights from last season but they’re still a world-class team and wherever you look on the pitch there’s world-class players, so it’s always going to be difficult but I thought the [Brentford] lads dug deep, stuck together and caused some problems on the counter.”

Henderson’s own history with Liverpool framed his comments. His first meeting with Liverpool took place in March 2011 when he was at Sunderland; he moved to Anfield that summer and remained there for 12 years, a period that produced Premier League and Champions League success.

Reflecting on that time, he said: “I had been at Liverpool for so long,” the midfielder reflected. “It’s always deep inside me forever now as it was my life for 12 years.

“It was a little bit strange but as soon as the whistle went, it was business as usual and I was ready to go and I’d be in the right frame of mind, which I was.

“I was fully in and felt as good as I ever have. I was there 12 years, dedicated a lot of my life to it. My kids were born there. It holds a special place in my heart.

“I still want Liverpool to do well—of course not when we’re playing them—but overall. That will never change. The fans have always been amazing. It was nice to see a few of them, I know a few of them left a bit early because of the result. But it was nice to see them again.”

Andy Robertson delivered a blunt assessment after Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat to Brentford, arguing the side failed to follow the game plan and did not show the necessary fight. Milos Kerkez reduced the deficit for Liverpool, but Brentford held a two-goal cushion before Igor Thiago converted a 60th-minute penalty. Mohamed Salah’s late goal proved only a consolation.

Robertson said the team were simply “not good enough.” He singled out defending from set plays and the battle for second balls as decisive weaknesses. “We didn’t do enough off the ball,” Robertson fumed. “They’re always going to be ready to put bodies in the box when it comes to set pieces, put the balls in behind, pick up second balls. You know what you’re going to come to, here. They’re always the same and they’re so good at it.

“It felt to me like we were just a yard off it in terms of that. They picked up so many second balls, and then the balls in behind.”

The opening Brentford goal came from a Michael Kayode long throw, and Ouattara’s swipe was the sixth set-piece goal Liverpool have conceded this season. Only West Ham United have shipped more set-piece goals.

Robertson continued to emphasise tactical preparation and work-rate, noting Arne Slot had focused on long throws in training: “the only thing we did yesterday on the training pitch.” He warned that opposing teams always have a plan and highlighted Liverpool’s failure to impose their own. “We didn’t play ours at all. That makes it so difficult.”

He also called for greater physical commitment: “You have to fight for the control, you have to fight first of all,” he warned. “You have to fight for the second balls, fight for the first balls, and try and feel your way into the game. And then the quality will come through.”

With a congested schedule ahead, Robertson stressed the response must be practical. “We’ve got to work harder. In training, in games, recovering better. When you’re at this football club, people demand results. In a difficult moment, the only way to get out of it is to work even harder, run that bit more and look after yourself that bit better. And that’s what we’ve got to do.”

“There’s no time to re-group,” the fullback fretted. “We’ve got games, games, games. Sometimes it can be a good thing that you’ve got such a quick turnaround and we can go again.”

A referee injury and a subsequent VAR intervention extended the second half of the Premier League meeting at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday. The match was held up after the break when the original official, who had been booed off the pitch to end the first half, did not continue. Robinson came out to resume play amid audible discontent from some spectators.

The first half itself had run longer than the minimum added time. A minimum of three minutes had been signalled, but the interval ended with nearly five additional minutes. That extra time allowed Milos Kerkez to cut Liverpool’s deficit in half before the interval.

Play was halted again about 15 minutes into the second half when VAR reviewed an incident on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area. Dango Ouattara was fouled by Virgil van Dijk on the edge of the box and the decision on the pitch was initially a free kick for the hosts. Stockley Park then directed play to be stopped while the incident was scrutinised.

Following the review, officials judged the contact to have occurred on the line and awarded a penalty. Igor Thiago converted from the spot, beating Giorgi Mamardashvili and restoring the two goal lead for the hosts.

Liverpool had arrived at the fixture having snapped a four-game losing run with an emphatic midweek result against Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite that boost, they found themselves two goals down in the first half through strikes from Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. Milos Kerkez’s late first-half effort reduced the margin, but the penalty early in the second half moved the hosts back to a two-goal advantage and overshadowed Kerkez’s contribution before the interval.

The match was defined as much by the interruptions and VAR process as by the goals, with the referee situation and the subsequent review shaping the opening stages after the break.