Liverpool fell to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, damaging their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The game started badly for Liverpool as Hugo Ekitike had to leave the pitch after suffering an injury in the opening minutes. It got worse for them after Danny Welbeck popped up at the back post to head his side into the lead in the 14th minute.
Liverpool equalised in the 30th minute after Milos Kerkez latched onto a backpass header and lobbed Bart Verbruggen but Welbeck was once again the thorn in Liverpool’s side. In the 56th minute, he latched onto a Jack Hinshelwood knockdown to fire past Giorgi Mamardashvili. After a video assistant referee check, the goal was given. The result meant Liverpool were still in fifth spot at full time, but the teams below them are still to play this weekend.
Here, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans breaks down a tough defeat for the visitors.
Was this yet another Champions League hangover?
Liverpool’s inconsistency was exposed as they failed to build on an impressive victory in Europe and slipped back into familiar struggles in the Premier League.
It marks the fourth time this season that Slot’s side have followed a Champions League triumph with defeat in their very next outing. The pattern has become a worrying trend: victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in October was followed by a loss at Brentford, a statement win against Real Madrid preceded a heavy defeat at Manchester City, and success against Marseille quickly gave way to a setback at Bournemouth.
This latest reversal only reinforces the frustration as Liverpool continue to float between good and bad with their season now hanging by a knife-edge.
Of course, the growing injury list is not helping, and the lack of preparation time was an issue, too. Liverpool had just 62 hours of rest and looked lethargic and passive throughout. Brighton, meanwhile, were fresh after a week off, and that was clear in their performance.
Slot predicted they would come out fighting with their “attractive and interesting” playing style, and even admitted that it might not be the ideal game for his side after such a quick turnaround from the midweek win over Galatasaray.
But games between these two teams always end up as high-scoring contests, and four of the last five meetings went in Liverpool’s favour. This one, though, fell away quickly and only makes it even tougher to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Virgil van Dijk shouts during Saturday’s game against Brighton (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
How poor were the errors in the build-up to the opener?
Liverpool’s defensive frailties have surfaced at times this season, but few moments have been as alarming as those in the build-up to the opening goal.
It all started on the halfway line when Curtis Jones was dispossessed easily, and that put the visitors on the back foot.
What happened next was even worse. First, Mamardashvili, who replaced the injured Alisson, inexcusably kicked the ball out of play when he attempted a short pass out from the back.
Jeremie Frimpong was then left dazzled — and under-supported — down the right, and as the ball was delivered into the box, Kerkez was caught out at the back post.
To make matters worse, the finish from Welbeck was embarrassing on Ibrahima Konate’s behalf as he allowed the striker to rise above him and guide home.
Liverpool have shown signs of sloppiness in defence this season, but this was up there with one of the worst goals they have conceded.
It wasn’t much better watching the second goal, either. Liverpool have now conceded more often in the league (42) than in the whole of last season.
How smart was Kerkez’s goal?
After a slow start at Liverpool, Kerkez has played himself into form, and the equalising goal will go down as one of the highlights of his season.
Not only did he show great vision by running from the middle of the pitch and around the Brighton back line in anticipation of any wayward back pass, but he also finished off the Lewis Dunk error in style.
Brighton’s centre-back was the man left red-faced as he underhit a back pass that Kerkez was able to pounce on. The Hungarian was a bright spark for Liverpool and showed fighting qualities throughout, including the alertness to sniff out danger and then the quality to level the scores.
His one-touch dinked finish over Verbruggen was sublime.
Kerkez celebrates his goal for Liverpool (Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Did Liverpool’s injury curse strike again?
Liverpool’s mounting injury troubles worsened as Ekitike was forced off after just nine minutes with a dead leg following a heavy collision with James Milner.
The early blow came after Mohamed Salah was ruled out of the game, leaving the team light on attacking options.
With record signing Alexander Isak sidelined since December due to a knee problem, much of the attacking responsibility had fallen on Ekitike. However, despite attempting to continue, the Frenchman could not shake off the knock and signalled to be substituted, with Jones introduced in his place.
There was no malice in the challenge from Milner, but the nature of the collision proved enough to force Ekitike’s early withdrawal.
Liverpool have been cursed by injuries this season, with key players missing for large chunks of the campaign. The club’s medical team will now assess him to discover the extent of the damage. Although Liverpool don’t play again for another fortnight, they’ll be hoping their striker can make a quick recovery as he’s an integral part of the team.
What did Slot say?
Asked what went wrong, he said: “Started off with the lead-up to this game with the injuries. As has happened so many times this season, after we’ve played a good game, we couldn’t bring that level again. That has happened so many times to us this season.
“But Brighton deserved to win if you look at the second half. The first half was an equal game.”
What next for Liverpool?
Saturday, April 4: Manchester City (Away), FA Cup quarter-final, 12.45pm UK, 7.45am ET