Liverpool 2-1 Brighton: Lack of ruthlessness costs against Redmen
The first half performance Brighton delivered in their 2-1 defeat at Liverpool was perhaps the best 45 minutes of the Fabian Hurzeler era so far.
There were just two problems. The Albion were not ruthless enough to put the game to bed before the break. Brighton could have led two, three, four nil had they been more clinical.
Instead, they had only a first Premier League goal from Ferdi Kadioglu to show for their outstanding efforts against opponents who would end the afternoon top of the table.
The second problem came when the Seagulls dropped off after the break. Liverpool sensed an opening and you cannot give a side as good as them an opportunity to get back into a game.
Anfield roared their players on and two goals scored faster than you can boil an egg turned the match on its head. From leading 1-0, Brighton suddenly found themselves trailing Liverpool 2-1 and dropping from third in the table to seventh.
Hurzeler spoke of both issues afterwards: “There was a big chance today. If we score the second goal, or we could have even got a third or fourth, in the first half then it is a different game.”
“Then of course they have individual quality. They scored out of nowhere with a cross, they scored with a shot from outside the box.”
“In this league there are top quality players. We have to be at the maximum and today we were not for 90 minutes. Then you can’t win the game.”
Questions were also asked of Hurzler’s second half substitutes. Should he have twisted earlier than he did? The effort which went into the first half showing appeared to leave some players tired and weary before Liverpool hit back. With fresher legs and minds on the pitch, Brighton stand a better chance of seeing out the game.
Eyebrows were raised before kick off when Hurzeler opted to name Carlos Baleba on the bench and go with a central midfield partnership of Jack Hinshelwood and Yasin Ayari.
It had the look of being far too lightweight against a Liverpool side containing a certain Alexis Mac Allister. The selection though worked for the most part.
Hinshelwood was good and Ayari outstanding in setting the tempo and ensuring Brighton dominated through that opening 45 minutes.
It is quite incredible to think Ayari struggled so much on loan at both Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City last season. And now here he is. Running the show at Anfield.
The Albion took the lead with 15 minutes on the clock. Kaoru Mitoma had frightened the living daylights out of Liverpool when coming off the bench for the final 10 of the League Cup clash between the two at the Amex less than 72 hours earlier.
Mitoma continued where he left off with a dazzling display down the left. His run and pass at the end of a long spell of Albion possession was helped along by Danny Welbeck across to Ferdi Kadioglu on the opposite side of the box.
Kadioglu arrived and foot like a traction engine, smashed an unstoppable effort across Caoimhin Kelleher and into the far corner.
Petition for Liverpool to sign a new goalkeeper whose name is easier to spell after 10 pints the previous day, please.
The home fans were stunned into silence. Welbeck had an effort deflected over and Georginio Rutter was denied by Kelleher when the £40 million forward maybe should have done better.
Welbeck curled a free kick just the wrong side of the post after Mac Allister embarked on a brief one-man crime spree, giving away fouls in dangerous places which might have earned him a couple of yellow cards from a better referee.
Mitoma then hung up a cross which Kadioglu could only volley into the Kop from a good position. Liverpool knew they were lucky to escape into half time trailing by only one.
At the other end, Bart Verbruggen had done little other than make a very good one-handed save early on from Darwin Nunez, a player whom Brighton wanted to bring to the Premier League once-upon-a-time before his arrival at Anfield.
In contrast to all those chances the Albion created through the first 45 minutes, they had only one shot on target after the break.
Verbruggen meanwhile became a one man band of resistance. It became increasingly clear as the half wore on that if Brighton were to leave Merseyside with all three points, the Dutch number one was going to be crucial – just as he had been in the 1-0 win at Newcastle a fortnight earlier.
Joe Gomez headed at Verbruggen just two minutes into the second half. Verbruggen then made excellent saves from a Mac Allister header and a Mo Salah one-on-one when the second best Egyptian footballer of all time after Adam El-Abd escaped Pervis Estupinan.
Liverpool eventually found their equaliser on 70 minutes. It was a disappointing goal for the Albion to concede. Cody Gakpo crossed from the left, nobody in blue and white could head clear and the ball ended up nestling in the far corner.
180 seconds later and Salah was able to cut onto his left foot and fire an unstoppable drive beyond Verbruggen. Liverpool led 2-1, the comeback was complete and Brighton were left wondering what might have been.
Brujan Gruda went down in the box late on but tellingly, neither the young German winger nor any of his teammates overly appealed for a spot kick.
That was the closest the Albion came to an equaliser as Liverpool closed out another victory to go with Wednesday night’s 3-2 success at the Amex.
Being eliminated from the League Cup felt like a missed opportunity at the time. Liverpool 2-1 Brighton entrenches that opinion.
A full strength Brighton side could have beaten the Reds second string and progressed to the quarter finals of a competition from which Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa are all eliminated.
Hurzeler though prioritised points at Anfield. The Albion are now out of the League Cup and no better off in the Premier League table.
Better to have won on Wednesday and taken a step towards a first piece of major silverware in Brighton history, even if meant risking a heavy defeat on Saturday.
Hindsight is, of course, a wonderful thing.
