How Alisson can emulate Bruce Grobbelaar & Pepe Reina vs. Brighton

August 25, 2018
Jack Lusby

Liverpool take on Brighton on Saturday looking to make it nine points from nine in the Premier League. Here are the key stats and facts ahead of kickoff.

History Favours the Reds

In all competitions Liverpool have won 15, drawn eight and lost four of 27 meetings with Brighton. At home the Reds have won nine and drawn three with two defeats.

In the 14 Anfield meetings in all competitions Liverpool have scored 38 times while conceding 12.

The only goalless draw between the teams came in a league fixture at Brighton in September 1961.

The Reds have scored in all but two of the 18 league clashes.

Liverpool have won each of the last five clashes with Brighton in league and cup and are unbeaten in the last seven since losing on the south coast in the FA Cup in 1984.

In those seven games the Reds have scored 26 times.

Four Score & Two Years Ago

Liverpool last scored four or more in their opening two home league fixtures of a campaign in 2016/17 (four against Leicester and four vs. Hull).

It is the only time they have achieved the feat in the top flight since 1922/23.

Should they score four in this game it will be the first time since January-February 2014 that they done so in three successive home league games.

In that sequence they put four past Everton and Swansea and registered five against Arsenal.

20 Not Out?

The Reds have scored 19 Premier League goals at Anfield without reply—their best since they hit 20 in a row in 1987/88 since West Ham scored here in February.

It is 22 in succession against English clubs if you include the Champions League clash with Man City.

Alisson’s Challenge

Only three Liverpool goalkeepers in the last 51 seasons have kept a clean sheet in each of the opening three league games of a campaign—Bruce Grobbelaar, Pepe Reina and Simon Mignolet (who did so twice).

Alisson could add to that list if he shuts Brighton out in this fixture.

Brighton’s Troubles On the Road

In 2017/18 Brighton scored 10 goals away from home, the same as West Brom. That tally was the lowest of all other teams in all four divisions.

They won twice on the road in the top flight last season—at West Ham in October (3-0) and at Swansea (1-0) a month later with Glenn Murray scoring in both.

Since that victory at Swansea they have drawn four and lost 10 on the road, scoring five times and failing to score in 10 of those games.

Brighton failed to score in 12 of their 19 away league games last season.