Liverpool returned from their trip to the Amex on Sunday with just a point after a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, despite grabbing the lead thanks to a brace from Mohamed Salah.
Alexis MacAllister was stripped of the ball by Simon Adingra after just 20 minutes, and Adingra subsequently surprised Alisson with a long-range shot.
Surprisingly, though, Salah’s quick-fire double allowed the Reds to lead at the break. The first goal came in the 40th minute, capping off a great play with the Egyptian tucking the ball into the far corner from within the area.
The second occurred in stoppage time of the first half as Brighton’s defense was caught off guard by Liverpool’s heavy push, resulting in the grounding of Dominik Szoboszlai. Salah stepped up and skillfully tucked the penalty kick away.
Up until Scotland captain Andy Robertson made another defensive error, allowing Lewis Dunk to head home Solly March’s left-footed free kick with 15 minutes left in the half, Liverpool had the upper hand.
Although the Arsenal-Manchester City match has yet to start, Jürgen Klopp’s team was forced to settle for a point due to a lack of offensive alternatives from the bench. This places them in third place, three points behind leaders Tottenham.
GK ALISSON: 6
Despite not being at fault, Alisson was embarrassed by Simon Adingra’s opening goal. When Alexis Mac Allister’s pocket was picked on the edge of the box, he lost his bearings and committed to the dive too soon even though the ball wasn’t moving very quickly. Spread himself out effectively and made a crucial save early in the second half to stop Adingra from tying the score, but was powerless to stop Lewis Dunk’s goal. But overall, not his greatest day.
.
(RB) 7 TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
Our vice-captain appeared to have never left. Resuming his hybrid role with ease, he sprayed passes all over the field while being vigilant and making two crucial interceptions as the last man.
(CB) JOL MATIP: 7
Despite scoring an own goal the previous week, he didn’t seem rattled and was a steady presence in the back line until he was replaced in the 73rd minute.
THEODORE VAN DIJK (CB): 7
He made a poor decision by passing to Mac Allister when the Argentinian had two guys waiting to pounce. As a result, Adingra scored to make it 1-0. Although it would have been exceedingly harsh to penalize his handball, Brighton believed they should have been awarded a penalty in the second half. well recovered from his rough start.
Andrew Robertson (LB): six
At a time when Liverpool felt in control of the game, shoddy defence allowed Dunk to make it 2-2 by seemingly backing down from clearing Solly March’s free-kick at the near post. fought Adingra with difficulty.
(CDM): 6 ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER
In the first half, his first visit back to the Amex Stadium did not go as planned at all, as Brighton’s high press robbed him of possession on the edge of the box and directly resulted in the first goal. was better in the second half when he had more protection from Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, but he had trouble on defense.
D. O. S. O. B. S. L. A. : 7
During the first half, when his teammates and he weren’t fully cohesive, he led the press. was much better in the second half as he dropped deeper and connected with Salah and Alexander-Arnold on the right side of the field as usual. was unfortunate not to receive an assist when Gravenberch’s low cross was deflected onto the crossbar at the far post early in the first half.
(CM) HARVEY ELLIOTT: 6
He was a critical part of the Reds’ tactical plan in the first half, largely hugging the right touchline and allowing Mohamed Salah to play more centrally. His presence may have been unexpected given that he played 90 minutes on Thursday. shown excellent awareness by allowing Salah to score the equalizer but remained virtually unnoticed.
SALAH MOHAMED (RW): 8
achieved both of his goals admirably. The first goal was a trademark finish, and although moving in the right direction, Bart Verbruggen had little chance thanks to the force of his penalty.
played a somewhat atypical role in the first half, dropping deep to link play and had some bad luck with through passes. When he was put back in his customary position in the second half, his effect diminished.
NEZ, Darwin (ST): 5
Today, Liverpool’s “chaos-creator-in-chief” remained mostly unidentified. He most likely would have been hooked off on any other day, but the dearth of choices available off the bench stopped this from happening.
5 LUIS DAZ (LW)
had a reasonably quiet day by his standards until 20 minutes into the first half, when he missed a wonderful opportunity to make it 3-1 by dragging his effort wide after a quick counterattack. Once more, it most likely would have been executed under different conditions.
A replacement is RYAN GRAVENBERCH (CM) (ELLIOTT, 46′): 6.
With his arrival, the Reds and Szoboszlai in particular were able to get back to their normal form. was unfortunate to almost immediately strike the crossbar. Other than that, had little effect.
