In a poor overall display, Liverpool gifted two goals and ended up drawing 2-2 at Brighton.
Brighton 2-2 Liverpool
Premier League (8), AMEX Stadium
October 8, 2023
Goals
Adingra 20′
Salah 40′ (assist: Nunez)
Salah 45+1′ (penalty)
Dunk 78′
With seven players missing, two of them due to suspension following last week’s controversial defeat at Tottenham, Jurgen Klopp‘s only real dilemma came in midfield.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was Harvey Elliott who got the nod ahead of Wataru Endo or Ryan Gravenberch.
Liverpool went behind in the 20th minute when Simon Adingra profited from a sloppy pass from Virgil van Dijk to Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson was caught out of his goal.
It was a shocking goal for Liverpool to concede, the definition of lax play from all three players at fault and an absolute gift for Brighton. Fair play, a superb finish from Adingra though.
The seventh time this season (from 11 games) that the Reds had conceded first.
Brighton were by far the better side, whereas Liverpool were sloppy; the midfield being easily cut through repeatedly.
Against the run of play, though, arrived the equaliser. Liverpool won the ball in midfield and the move ended with Nunez playing in Salah who finished nicely.
And it was Salah again right on the stroke of half time, superbly converting a penalty after Szoboszlai had been brought down in the box.
Quite how Brighton‘s Pascal Gross wasn’t sent off, though, remains a mystery. A blatant denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Liverpool, somehow led at half-time after being pretty poor for the majority of the opening 45.
Half time: Brighton 1-2 Liverpool
Underlining Liverpool’s issues in the first half, Elliott, who was making his first league start of the season, was replaced by Gravenberch.
Liverpool needed Alisson at his typical best to make a smothering stop to deny Adingra an equaliser shortly after the break.
Soon after, it should have been 3-1. A superb move ended with Gravenberch hitting the underside of the bar from close range. It ended up being a decisive moment.
Diaz had a decent chance but flashed a shot wide, while Salah continued to cause issues with runs in behind.
Brighton wanted a penalty for a handball on Van Dijk, with Klopp intervening in an attempt to calm down Roberto De Zerbi.
Brighton got their equaliser in the 78th minute when March’s free-kick from wide was tapped in by Lewis Dunk; Andy Robertson should have done better at the front post.
And Brighton should have been ahead five minutes later when Joao Pedro blazed over unmarked from six yards.
Both teams sought a winner but Liverpool’s end product was often lacking.
In the end, a draw was probably a fair result, but this was another wasted opportunity by Liverpool, with Man City and Arsenal to play each other later in the day.
This was not how Klopp would have wanted to mark his eight-year anniversary.
TIA Man of the Match: Mo Salah
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Igor, Dunk, Gross; March, Baleba; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
Subs: Steele, Webster, Ven Hecke, Hinshelwood, Dahoud, Gilmour, Lallana, Fati, Welbeck
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Gomez 80′), Matip (Konate 73′), Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Elliott (Gravenberch 46′); Salah, Diaz, Nunez
Subs not used: Adrian, Tsimikas, Chambers, Quansah, Endo, Doak
Next Match: Everton (home, Saturday 21 October)
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