Watch: Leeds United boss Christiansen's post-match press conference after 3-1 defeat to Brentford

Goals from Neal Maupay, Yoann Barbet and Ryan Woods gave the Bees the points – moving them to within three points of the play-offs – with United’s consolation coming from from Ezgjan Alioski.

But it was a series of goalkeeping howlers that were the talking point of a keenly-contested clash, with both Brentford’s Daniel Bentley and Leeds’ Andy Lonergan at fault for three of the goals.

Lonergan gifted the hosts the lead midway through the first half when he dropped Barbet’s cross from the left onto the head of Maupay, who gratefully nodded into the empty goal.

But Bentley let the visitors back into it after the break with an almost carbon copy blunder when he lost a high ball in the air and dropped it into the path of Alioski, who nodded home from almost the same spot.

The Londoners regained the lead with five minutes remaining when Barbet’s low angled free-kick found its way under the hapless Lonergan.

The points were wrapped up when Kamohelo Mokotjo fed Woods on the edge of the box for the Bees midfielder to give Lonergan no chance with a sidefooted piledriver.

“This was a must-win but we didn’t,” said a disappointed Christiansen. “But we had a very good second half and I believe we deserved more.

“The pressure will grow and grow if we don’t win but there is only one way to come out of it and that’s to stick together.”

“We made two changes at half-time and I will take with me the positive that we raised our game, equalised and could have got the win.

“They approached our goal four times and scored three goals.

“Mistakes we can all commit but today they cost us the game. When people make individual mistakes there is no system that can support that.

“It’s disappointing when you think you deserve more, but there is only one thing to do and that is to continue working hard.

“If we don’t have faith and don’t believe we may as well throw everything away and go home. But we are fighters and we will fight back again.”