Brighton 0-2 Liverpool: Five defeats in a row for the first time since 2007

The problem with a football manager making a thinly disguised dig at supporters when things are going well is that said dig can then be turned around and end up biting you on the arse if results and performances turn. Hello Graham Potter, hello Brighton 0-2 Liverpool.

When a smattering of boos greeted the full time whistle of November’s 0-0 draw against 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United at the Amex, Mr Potter said that he needed a history lesson to understand why fans were displeased at sitting in the top half of the Premier League at the time.

The undertones of the comment were clear – what are you moaning about when I am delivering good football and good results?

Five months on and results have collapsed with the Albion are heading back towards lower mid table, the position they have occupied in every one of the past four seasons. Where is this progress towards becoming a top 10 club that we were so frequently told the Albion were making?

Seeing as Potter likes a history lesson, here is one – Brighton 0-2 Liverpool made it five consecutive defeats for the first time since April 2007, when Dean Wilkins oversaw losses against Doncaster Rovers, Tranmere Rovers, Bradford City, Swansea City and Oldham Athletic.

Clearly, the Albion are playing a very different calibre of opponent in 2022. But in a way, the current sequence of results is worse as that League One losing run was not entirely unexpected.

Of Brighton’s five vanquishers, only Bradford ended the season below the Albion in the table. Brighton lost games that the standings told you they should be losing.

That is not the case this time and this is why a large number of Brighton fans are thoroughly depressed by the current rut.

Burnley, Aston Villa and Newcastle all sat below the Seagulls in the Premier League table. All picked up three points with those home defeats to the two claret-and-blue-clad opponents being particularly shit as Brighton managed just one shot on target in each match.

Losing at home to a rampant Liverpool or away at Manchester United are not problem results. It is failing to pick up any points against Burnley, Villa and the Saudi Sportswashers that is the issue – although the news that 81 men lost their lives after being beheaded at the weekend in mass executions carried out by the owners of Newcastle kind of puts the unimportance of football in the grand scheme of things into context.

As does the war raging in Eastern Europe. The Albion wore their yellow and blue third kit in support of Ukraine for Brighton 0-2 Liverpool whilst all profits from shirt sales are being donated to the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

It might not be going right on the pitch at the moment, but gestures like this are a reminder of the good, generous people that Brighton have running the club.

Speaking of generous, Robert Sanchez probably owes Mike Dean a beer or two for not sending him off in the major talking point of the first half.

Brighton had made a strong start, dominating in midfield to the point that Alexis Mac Allister was able to produce an utterly outrageous Maradona turn which took two Liverpool players out of the game. Up front, Neal Maupay was inches away with a low drive that had Alisson concerned.

All that counted for nothing however when Liverpool took the lead on 19 minutes. The Albion defence was caught flat footed to a Joel Matip ball over the top and Luiz Diaz raced through to head past the advancing Sanchez, who decided to jump 20 feet into the air and smash the goal scorer in the face with his knee.

It was reckless, dangerous and as a clear a red card as you are likely to see. Miraculously, Dean and VAR concluded that Sanchez deciding to go full Shawn Michaels was not even worthy of a booking.

An astonishing piece of officiating that made it even stranger that some Brighton fans were laying the blame for defeat at the hands of Dean afterwards.

Sanchez is suffering a real dip in form at the minute of the sort that saw Maty Ryan dropped and sold last season. The problem is that there is no realistic alternative to Sanchez; you cannot take him out of the side when the other option is Jason Steele.

Kjell Scherpen being loaned out suggests that the Albion do not think he is yet ready for Premier League football either.

Signing genuine competition for Sanchez suddenly looks like a priority this summer when six months ago he seemed destined to be the Albion’s number one for many years.

Liverpool taking the lead resulted in a change in momentum as the Reds pinned Brighton into their own half for the 26 remaining minutes before the break.

The only thing Albion fans had to cheer in that time was Mo Salah having a shot on target which had been price boosted to evens by SkyBet.

Judging by the reaction in the West Stand Upper, quite a few Seagulls fans took advantage of the offer. With a maximum stake of £10, the profit could be well invested into three bags of £3.20 Starburst at half time.

Prior to seeing his effort saved by Sanchez, the second-best Egyptian footballer of all time after Adam El-Abd had fired wastefully over. Andrew Robertson did likewise as Brighton made it into the break just the one goal behind.

Adam Lallana was introduced at half time in place of Steve Alzate. Unfortunately, your correspondent is unable to give any opinion on how Lallana played against his former club as when I returned to my seat seven minutes into the second half, Lallana was walking off injured.

It was a case of deja vu for the midfielder, whose contribution last time Liverpool came to town was to wander onto the pitch and promptly wander off again. Still, Lallana got a tap on the back from Jurgen Klopp which he seemed to enjoy.

Brighton had their best chance in that brief time Lallana was on the pitch. Mac Allister and Maupay linked up to find Leandro Trossard in a promising position 15 yards out but his shot ended up posing more danger to cars parked at Ditchling Beacon than Alisson’s goal.

Liverpool soon got back on top. Lewis Dunk deflected a Salah effort onto the bar and the Premier League’s top scorer then dragged wide with only Sanchez to beat.

The Reds got their second on the hour mark, killing the game off. Liverpool transfer target Yves Bissouma made a good save with his arm from a Naby Keita shot but seeing as he was not the goalkeeper, Mr Dean had little choice but to point to the spot. Salah duly converted the penalty to make it Brighton 0-2 Liverpool.

Potter responded by throwing on Danny Welbeck for Bissouma. Dat Guy brought a focal point to the attack and the Albion were improved for his arrival, although Liverpool easing off knowing the game was won helped.

Alisson produced an extraordinary save to deny Welbeck a consolation in the final minute of the 90 before keeping out a Solly March effort in time added on.

That made it seven home games in which the Albion have failed to score this season. No history lesson is needed to tell you that really isn’t good enough.

Brighton do not have to wait long for another opportunity to end their losing run. Spurs visit the Amex on Wednesday night in a fixture rearranged from December following a Covid-19 outbreak at Tottenham.

Should the Albion lose, then it would be six consecutive league defeats for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign – the last season that Brighton suffered relegation in. Another history lesson Potter will probably not want to hear.

Losing to Spurs would not be the end of the world, of course. What happens afterwards is more important. Brighton have a 17 day break before the visit of Norwich, time which Potter desperately needs to press the reset button.

If he can use it to try and help the likes of Sanchez, Bissouma and Trossard rediscover their form and get Adam Webster back to fitness, then there is no reason why the Albion cannot finish the campaign strongly through April and May.

Then maybe we can start talking about good history again rather than losing runs.