The night at the Gtech Community Stadium was supposed to be another simple Premier League evening for the champions of England. But what unfolded left Liverpool fans speechless, Arne Slot furious, and the football world buzzing over one decision that changed everything — the penalty that nobody could explain. It was the kind of night where chaos ruled, where VAR once again stood in the spotlight, and where Manchester City, far away in their training ground, quietly watched, already thinking about their next move in the title race and their future plans on the right flank involving a familiar name — Achraf Hakimi.
Liverpool came into the match with tired legs but full hearts after their big midweek win in Europe. They had travelled from Germany to London in just two days, carrying the confidence of a Champions League victory. Arne Slot wanted a statement performance. He wanted to show that the champions were still hungry, still powerful, still capable of crushing anyone in their path. But Brentford had other ideas. The Bees, loud, aggressive, and fearless, came with energy that shook Liverpool from the very first minute.
Within minutes, Brentford threw everything at them — long balls, quick counters, set-pieces, and those infamous long throw-ins that feel like missiles flying into the box. Liverpool looked unprepared, even though Slot later admitted they had trained for it all day. Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade punished them early, each goal cutting deeper into Liverpool’s rhythm. The crowd roared. Brentford smelled blood. Then, right before halftime, Milos Kerkez poked home another goal, leaving Liverpool stunned and trailing.
But it wasn’t the goals that made headlines. It was the penalty — the one that broke Arne Slot’s patience. When Igor Thiago stepped up and sent Alisson the wrong way to make it 3–1, Slot’s expression told the whole story. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Moments earlier, Cody Gakpo had gone down in the opposite box under almost the same kind of challenge, but no penalty was given. “If you showed both situations to every referee in the world,” Slot said later, his voice low but sharp, “they would tell you maybe both were nothing, but if I had to give one, I’d give the one to Cody.”
The VAR check came, the screen flashed, and the referee pointed to the spot — for Brentford. The stadium erupted. Liverpool’s players surrounded the referee in disbelief. Mohamed Salah shook his head. Virgil van Dijk raised his hands, demanding an explanation. But the decision stood. Brentford 3, Liverpool 1.
It wasn’t just about one decision; it was about what that decision symbolized. For weeks, Liverpool fans have felt that luck — and maybe more than luck — has been against them. Slot, still new to the English refereeing system, has been trying to stay calm, but nights like this test even the calmest men. The penalty, he said, was “soft.” Too soft. But he refused to hide behind excuses. “We didn’t do the basics right,” he admitted. “You can’t win if the other team wins more duels, more second balls. That’s what happened tonight.”
Liverpool pushed again. Salah pulled one back late in the 89th minute, but it was too little, too late. The whistle blew. Another loss — the fourth in a row. From champions to chasers in just a few weeks. The dressing room was silent. Some players sat with heads down, others staring into space. Slot’s face said it all: confusion, frustration, and disappointment. He had warned about this — the difficulty of change, the cost of rebuilding after a summer of departures and arrivals. But four straight losses were too heavy to ignore.
“Teams know how to play against us now,” he said. “They wait, they counter, they use set-pieces. We haven’t found an answer yet.”
Outside, the media waited for headlines. Inside, the questions were bigger: where did the spark go? Could the champions rise again?
And while Liverpool were drowning in frustration, Manchester City were plotting — quietly, efficiently, like they always do. Pep Guardiola had just finished another long training session. His team was preparing for their weekend game, but Pep’s mind was elsewhere. The right flank. For months, he had been experimenting with midfielders at full-back — Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, even young Rico Lewis. But deep down, he wanted something more stable, something more natural. That’s when one name returned to his list: Achraf Hakimi.
Hakimi, now 26, was once Pep’s dream signing. Speed, power, technique, and the intelligence to play in a fluid, attacking system. He had everything Guardiola admired. When City scouts filed their reports this month, Hakimi’s name came up again. The Moroccan star at PSG is still among the world’s best in his position, and with City’s long-term interest in a new right-back, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
City’s recruitment team believes that with Kyle Walker entering the final phase of his career, it’s time to bring in a successor who fits the new tactical evolution. Guardiola has turned midfielders into defenders, defenders into playmakers, but he knows that against teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, he needs pure pace and balance on the flanks — something Hakimi offers effortlessly.
It’s why City have been monitoring PSG’s situation closely. The French club are open to major changes next summer, especially if they lose Kylian Mbappé. Guardiola knows Hakimi might be tempted by a new challenge — the Premier League, the intensity, the chance to work under one of football’s greatest minds.
For now, it’s only whispers. But in Manchester, whispers often turn into history. Just like when City quietly chased Erling Haaland long before anyone else believed they could get him. Just like when they shocked the world with Jack Grealish and then Matheus Nunes.
Meanwhile, Arsenal sit at the top of the table, smiling quietly. Mikel Arteta, Guardiola’s former apprentice, has built something powerful. Ferguson himself once joked when asked who he preferred between Arsenal and City in a title race: “I’m not interested.” It was a classic Ferguson line — short, sharp, and full of history. The old rivalry never dies.
Yet, even Sir Alex would admit — the fight between Arteta and Guardiola represents something special. It’s the new era of tactical football: the student versus the master, the one who learned versus the one who invented. Arsenal’s young, fierce energy against City’s cold, mechanical brilliance. Liverpool, the wounded giant, watching from behind, trying to climb back into the fight.
The Premier League title race this season feels like a storm brewing. Arsenal are steady, City are rising, and Liverpool are bleeding but not dead. Behind all the noise, one story connects them all — the search for perfection. For City, it’s finding the final piece of the puzzle on the right side. For Liverpool, it’s regaining their identity, their press, their passion. For Arsenal, it’s proving they can finally go all the way after coming so close last year.
When Slot walked off the pitch at Brentford, he looked up once at the away fans. They were still singing. Still chanting his name. That small moment reminded him that Liverpool isn’t a club that surrenders easily. He promised to fix it, to rebuild it. But deep inside, he knows time in football moves faster than ever. Four losses can turn confidence into crisis.
And far away, Pep Guardiola smiled slightly when asked about Liverpool’s troubles. “They are Liverpool,” he said. “They always come back.” But his focus, as always, was elsewhere — tactics, planning, transfers, and the hunt for the next evolution. Whether it’s Hakimi or someone else, City’s machine keeps moving, adjusting, perfecting.
So while Liverpool wrestle with VAR pain and questions of form, City continue to sharpen their future. And as the cold nights of winter football approach, one truth remains: the Premier League is a battlefield. One bad decision, one injury, one signing — and everything changes.
For Arne Slot, it’s about fighting back from chaos. For Pep Guardiola, it’s about building the next version of dominance. For the fans, it’s about emotion, heartbreak, and hope — the very things that make football what it is.
And maybe, when the dust settles, we’ll look back at nights like Brentford, at VAR decisions that broke tempers, at tactical shifts that shaped destiny, and realize — these are the nights where titles are truly won and lost.
