Brighton 3-0 Liverpool
by Gene Sylvester
at Falmer Stadium

JURGEN KLOPP’S men were given a true footballing lesson on the south coast as Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton boys put the Merseyside’s to the sword in brutal fashion with a resounding 3-0 victory that did not flatter the hosts in the slightest.

Brighton’s performance from start to finish was faultless as they totally dominated Liverpool with work rate, style and finesse, in a manner that we had come to expect from the Reds themselves.

After the match Klopp summed up the view of most Liverpool fans when he stated: “It was horrible to watch.”

Brighton welcomed back World Cup winner Alex Mac Allister for his first appearance at the Falmer stadium following his country’s exploits in Qatar, giving him a standing ovation prior to the match and it was his telling contribution early in the second half that had set Brighton on their way.

Joel Matip, deputising for the injured Virgil Van Dyke, played a loose pass into the midfield that was pounced upon by Mac Allister. The Argentinian played a quick ball into former Red Adam Lallana who then swiftly released Kauro Mitoma into the space vacated by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The impressive Japanese winger then played a delightful ball across the face of goal that was calmly slotted under the diving Allison by Solly March to give Brighton a deserved lead.

It was the least that the Seasiders had deserved, following a first half that had seen Mitoma, Mac Allister, Evan Ferguson and March himself all spurn chances to put Brighton ahead, with the latter also having a penalty appeal denied by VAR after being deemed offside.

Not many in the stadium were surprised when Brighton doubled their lead, 7 minutes after their opener, such was their dominance, and March was again the protagonist following good work from Republic of Ireland under 21 international striker Evan Ferguson.

The youngster was only making his second start for Brighton, but showed the maturity of a seasoned striker, dropping off the Liverpool backline to receive a ball from reported Liverpool target Moses Caicedo, before turning and threading a precision pass into the cross field run of March who fired a powerful left foot shot across goal into the far corner of Allison’s net.

De Zerbi was happy with March’s performance but believes March is capable of scoring more goals.

“He is a fantastic guy and a fantastic player. It would be a good improvement if he scored more goals because he works very hard for the team.

Klopp made a host of substitutions in an attempt to try to rescue his side’s slump, but it was a Brighton sub who put the nail in the coffin for the Reds, and as if to rub salt into gaping wounds, it was ex-Manchester United player Danny Welbeck who got Brighton’s third.

A Brighton throw-in was flicked on by man of the match March into Welbeck’s path who controlled the bouncing ball, flicking it over the head of Joe Gomez and then volleying the ball past the helpless Allison.

The Liverpool manager was obviously disappointed with the result and his team’s performance.

“I cannot remember a worst game for Liverpool ever, and this is my responsibility.”

Klopp went on to say “We tried to help the boys with a different organisation which I thought may have worked well, but it didn’t. That’s my responsibility”

De Zerbi also referenced Liverpool’s change in tact while acknowledging his team’s improvements

“We are improving in quality of our play but I was surprised with the tactical positioning of Liverpool.”