Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged the feeling shared by Reds in that the 2-2 draw with Brighton “feels like a defeat” after racing out to a 2-0 first-half lead.
The manager expected a stern test from Graham Potter’s side having seen his team drop four points to Brighton last season and he was proven right on Saturday.
Liverpool had raced to a two-goal lead by the 24th-minute and looked poised for another flex of their muscles, only to let their heads drop and Brighton to take the ascendancy.
Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard struck and the Reds failed to strike back as tired legs and minds led to a disconnected performance.
And Klopp was honest in his assessment post-match, with the Reds’ performance “not good enough” nor was their body language.
“It feels like a defeat,” Klopp said. “It’s not only because we were 2-0 up and didn’t win, it’s because the game I saw, we scored two of the most beautiful goals I’ve ever seen us score, which were disallowed.
“The pressing goal for Sadio was just unlucky, if you want to teach pressing, you would show this situation. But disallowed for handball, I guess.
“Top moments in the first half where we showed how we can hurt Brighton, played some top passes through the centre and played really good football but were only 2-0.
“In the second half, we were not good enough. The body language I didn’t like it all. It was like ‘oh my God, it’s really tough’. Yeah, it was clear before the game.
“The best way to defend Brighton is to have the ball yourself and play in the spaces where they are exposed, but we didn’t do that and that’s a problem.”
It’s the third league draw at Anfield in five games, a record that will need improving as Liverpool move deeper into the season.
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