2 November 2024
Liverpool 2 Brighton 1
Arne Slot’s side welcomed Brighton to Anfield as the pair clashed for the second time in a matter of days. The Reds had won at the Amex Stadium to ensure that The Seagulls’ participation in the Carabao Cup was to come to an end. Once again, like Man City, the hosts knew this was a big chance to put some daylight between themselves and Arsenal.
The Dutch manager is more than happy to rotate his Liverpool team. He made three changes from their last league game as he looks to juggle challenging on all fronts. It was the visitors who started well and began to ask questions of the hosts’ defence. Sometimes, when you attack The Reds, you are at your most vulnerable defensively.
Liverpool countered with pace and the ball was worked to Nunez. He cut inside onto his right foot and got a superb effort away. It seemed destined for the far corner but Verbruggen made a world-class save to tip it around the post. It was an early warning for the visitors that they needed to be wary of how quickly Slot’s side can transition from defence into attack.
Hurzeler’s side are never scared to get on the front foot themselves. They were just lacking that killer-pass in the final third. As a stray ball beat everyone to the back post, Kadioglu struck a sublime effort which had a full-stretch Kelleher beaten. The ball struck the inside of the post on its way in and silenced the home faithful. With only fourteen minutes gone, the visitors led.
Brighton almost doubled their lead as a brilliant pass was threaded in behind the defence. Rutter used his pace to get on the end of it and seemed destined to score but Kelleher did well to block with an outstretched leg. The Seagulls had seemingly not read the script that had been left out for them in the away dressing room before the game.
As the game went on, the visitors grew in confidence. They were playing some impressive passing football and making easy work of The Reds’ defence. As it was worked to the back post, Kadioglu had a volley but could not keep his effort down. This was looking a very drab performance from Slot’s side and he would need to put a rocket up his team at the interval.
Before they even got to that stage, the visitors won a free kick in a dangerous position. Welbeck took it and his effort kissed the side of the net as it narrowly missed. Liverpool forced a corner soon after and Konate ended up in a heap on the floor. While there was no claims for a penalty, it was an early end to the afternoon for the big defender as he seemed to have injured his arm in the melee.
Whatever Arne Slot said at the interval seemed to work. A cross into the box was headed goalwards by Mac Allister, his effort clipped the outside of the post. The replay showed that the defender had kicked him in the head after sending the ball towards the target. Of course VAR did not get involved as they stuck to their mantra of ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’.
Liverpool had a brilliant chance to equalise when Tsimikas played a long pass forward. Van Dijk had got into a position in the middle where he was completely unmarked. As the ball dropped to him on the volley, he got it all wrong, as he missed it altogether. At this stage you wondered whether the hosts would come to rue that miss.
Nunez then won a header and laid it into the path of Salah. The Egyptian ran clean through on goal but as he tried to dink it over Verbruggen, the Dutch keeper made a great stop. Nothing seemed to be going Liverpool’s way and you wondered if it was going to be one of those days. The fans kept on getting behind their team, knowing they are capable of turning this game on its head.
Gakpo then picked the ball up wide on the left. He looked to swing in a teasing cross towards Nunez in the box and the ball nestled into the bottom corner of the goal. The Uruguayan striker tried to get a deft flick on the effort but as the replay showed he seemed to miss it completely. Nobody cared in Anfield, however it got there, it was finally in the back of the net.
Then came a moment of brilliance that should act as a stark warning to the rest of the league. Brighton came on the attack as it was crossed towards Rutter. He had an air swipe at the ball and missed it completely. In the space of six or seven passes, The Reds were down the other end of the pitch putting The Seagulls’ goal under threat.
It was worked to Salah, who dropped his shoulder and cut onto his left foot, before drilling the ball past Verbruggen and into the far corner. In just two minutes of this game, Liverpool had gone from trailing to leading this match. Anfield erupted as their team had completed the ultimate comeback against Fabian Hurzeler’s side.
Another thing which seems different from the Klopp era is the game management from this Slot side. Once they got themselves ahead, there seemed no other outcome than a Liverpool win. The Reds took all three points and leapfrogged Man City at the top of the table. They now had a seven point lead on alleged title rivals Arsenal also.
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