Liverpool's Premier League Struggles Continue Against Brighton, Welbeck Punishes the Champions
A Danny Welbeck brace sealed a deserved 2–1 win for Brighton as Liverpool's worrying Premier League form continued — three games without a win, with Salah and Alisson both absent through injury.
Liverpool once again failed to convince in the Premier League — in stark contrast to their Champions League displays — falling to a 2–1 defeat at Brighton's Amex Stadium. It was a third consecutive league game without a win for Arne Slot's side, who have taken just one point from those matches. Danny Welbeck (14', 56') twice punished a leaky Liverpool defence, and while Miloš Kerkez (30') equalised before the break, the champions offered far too little after half-time and were outplayed. It was Liverpool's tenth Premier League defeat of the season.
Slot was forced into two changes from the Galatasaray match, with Alisson and Mohamed Salah both missing through injury, replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili and Cody Gakpo. Brighton named an unchanged XI from their win over Sunderland. As early as the third minute, Hugo Ekitike suffered a thigh injury following a clash with Milner and was replaced by Curtis Jones.
Liverpool created several decent attacks without making the most of them, before conceding a soft opener in the 14th minute. From a throw-in in the visitors' half, Welbeck rose above Konaté to tap home from close range. Liverpool equalised on the half-hour after a poor headed backpass from Lewis Dunk, with Kerkez reacting sharply to chip Verbruggen with a superb finish.
Early in the second half, Brighton retook the lead. Minteh delivered a fine cross to the far post, Hinshelwood laid it off, and Welbeck finished from three metres out. VAR checked for offside but the goal stood.
Liverpool failed to equalise despite a series of chances, with Verbruggen producing several important saves — most notably denying Jones after a brilliant ball from Wirtz. It was a thoroughly deserved tenth Premier League defeat of the season for Liverpool, in a campaign in which they were supposed to be defending their title.