Solly March scored a second-half brace and Danny Welbeck added a third goal in the 81st minute as Brighton soundly defeated Liverpool in Premier League action Saturday afternoon. The win was a famous one for the Seagulls as it marked their first-ever home victory over Liverpool as members of the EPL.
First Half
Brighton earned an early corner, but the danger was cleared by the Liverpool backline. Brighton stayed on the front foot, forcing a save from Alisson in the 9th minute. The Reds defense cleared another corner in the 13th minute. Both teams traded yellow cards in the 18th minute.
Brighton continued to play well as they earned their 4th corner of the match in the 22nd minute Liverpool did not register their first shot until Mohamed Salah forced Roberto Sanchez into a save in the 26th minute. Liverpool failed to maintain meaningful possession as Brighton was clearly the better side in the first half. That quality paid off in a penalty against Alisson in the 42nd minute, but the penalty decision was reversed by VAR thanks to offsides, leaving the score at 0-0 after 45 minutes.
Second Half
Brighton got a well-deserved goal in the 46th minute. Joel Matip gave the ball away in the back under pressure and Solly March was there for the tap-in, giving Brighton a 1-0 lead. March bagged a brace moments later with a beautiful strike in the 53rd minute thanks to an assist from Evan Ferguson.
Trent Alexander-Arnold nearly pulled a goal back with a header in the 55th minute but Sanchez made the save. The Reds then made a rare quadruple change later in the half in hopes of turning things around. Substitute Harvey Elliott nearly scored in the 76th minute as did Cody Gakpo moments later, but it was not to be
Danny Welbeck put the finishing touches on the Seagulls' victory when he scored off of a throw-in in the 81st minute. Liverpool finally earned a corner in the 90th minute, but they could not salvage a late marker, falling 3-0.
Devil In The Details
As dominating as Brighton seemed on the pitch, the stats paint an even darker picture for Liverpool. Brighton held 62 percent of possession, earned 7 corners to the Reds' 1 and held a 16-6 edge on shots.
A Dubious Mark For The Defense
Liverpool have now conceded 3 goals in consecutive EPL matches (both losses) and a total of 24 goals during the League campaign. By comparison, they only surrendered a total of 26 all of last year across all competitions. I know Jürgen Klopp has had to shuffle his backline a lot due to injury, but the defense must improve.
LFC Global Verdict
I could use a lot of adjectives to describe Liverpool's performance, but the best one only contains three letters: BAD. The Reds were outplayed at the opening whistle. I know teams sometimes even top teams have matches like this, but poor performances have become a disturbing trend for Liverpool this year. They have played extremely well in some matches this season, but in the last 3, Liverpool seems to have taken several steps backward. If they keep sliding down the table, a Top-4 finish and a Champions League birth next year could be in jeopardy.
Unfortunately for Liverpool supporters, several Brighton players turned in superb shifts. It was Solly March that got the ball rolling with a 46th-minute tap-in. His strike in the 53rd minute was absolutely stunning and deserves EPL goal of the year consideration for both its quality and magnitude.
For Liverpool, Ibrahima Konaté covered a lot of ground defensively in the first half, helping to keep Brighton off the board. He seems to have shaken off any ill effects from his own goal erlier this season.
What's Next
Liverpool will have a weekday FA Cup tie at Wolverhampton on January 17th. Kick-off is set for 19:45 GMT.
Goals
Liverpool
-None
Brighton
-Solly March (46', 53')
- Danny Welbeck 81'
Substitutions
Liverpool
- Naby Keita for Fabinho 68'
- Harvey Elliott for Jordan Henderson 69'
- Joe Gomez for Joel Matip 69'
- Ben Doak for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 69'
Brighton
1. Joel Veltman for Adam Lallana ‘66
2. Danny Welbeck for Evan Ferguson ‘66
3. Jeremy Sarmiento for Alexis MacAllister ‘83
4. Tariq Lamptey for Kaoru Matoma 90'
- Adam Webster for Lewis Dunk 90+'
