Brighton handed Liverpool their 10th Premier League defeat of the season at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with Danny Welbeck scoring twice in a 2-1 win that did nothing to ease the pressure on Arne Slot. The result sent the champions into the International break on a three-game winless run in the league, and the timing could hardly be worse.
Liverpool arrived already short-handed. Both Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker were absent after picking up injuries in the Champions League win over Galatasaray three days earlier, forcing Giorgi Mamardashvili into the starting lineup.
Things got harder almost immediately. Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, limped off inside the opening eight minutes after a collision with James Milner, and Curtis Jones was thrown into the role of attacking midfielder in an unplanned reshuffle.
Brighton needed little else to take control. Welbeck headed the opener in the 14th minute after Diego Gómez nodded a cross back across goal, with Mamardashvili and Jones both contributing to the mess that allowed it to happen. It was Welbeck’s 11th Premier League goal of the season, making him the leading English scorer in the division.
Liverpool’s equaliser came from chaos at the other end. Mamardashvili’s long clearance was headed backwards by skipper Lewis Dunk without checking his surroundings, and Milos Kerkez read the situation brilliantly to lob the stranded Bart Verbruggen.
It was a reminder that Liverpool’s moments of fortune this season tend to rely more on opposition mistakes than their own creativity. Their expected goals figure of 1.03 against Brighton’s 2.30 captures the imbalance precisely.
Welbeck restored the lead on 56 minutes when Yankuba Minteh’s cross was turned back by Jack Hinshelwood, leaving the forward a tap-in that survived a lengthy VAR offside check. At 35 years old, Welbeck shows little sign of winding down.
Mamardashvili made important saves late on to deny Gómez and Minteh as Brighton pushed for a third. Slot sent on Robertson and Chiesa with 15 minutes left but it changed little, with Verbruggen saving from Jones and Gakpo as Liverpool chased.
The statistical damage is considerable. Liverpool have now conceded 42 league goals, more than in either of their previous two full campaigns. Their 10th defeat matches a figure not reached since 2015-16.
For Brighton, a fourth win in five league games lifts Fabian Hurzeler’s side back into the top half, six points from the European places and with real momentum heading into the break. The gap between these two clubs, in terms of how they’re playing right now, was stark.