Brighton ahead Danny Welbeck struck twice as Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League qualification have been dealt an additional blow by a 2-1 Premier League defeat on the Amex Stadium.
Arne Slot’s Reds arrived in Sussex with out injured pair Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah and bidding to bounce again from drawing at residence to relegation-threatened Tottenham and shedding at backside membership Wolves.
Welbeck headed the Seagulls into an early lead earlier than benefitting from the tightest of offside calls to assert his twelfth top-flight objective of the season after Milos Kerkez had capitalised on a mistake from Lewis Dunk to equalise.
A fourth victory in 5 video games lifts Albion again into the highest half of the desk, whereas one other disappointing outing for the reigning champions was compounded by prime scorer Hugo Ekitike struggling an early damage.
Liverpool cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night because of a 4-1 mixture win over Galatasaray however have work to do to safe a spot within the competitors subsequent season attributable to their patchy league kind.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and Cody Gakpo changed key duo Alisson and Salah, whereas Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler caught with the workforce which began final weekend’s 1-0 win at Sunderland.
After kick-off was delayed by quarter-hour attributable to a highway visitors accident on the A27, Liverpool suffered an additional setback when 17-goal ahead Ekitike limped off inside eight minutes following a collision with James Milner, to get replaced by Curtis Jones.
The guests contributed to their very own undoing as Brighton snatched a 14th-minute opener.
Ibrahima Konaté gifted Albion a throw-in deep in Liverpool territory by miscontrolling a go from Mamardashvili and, following Ferdi Kadioglu’s deep cross from the left, Diego Gómez nodded again throughout objective for former Manchester United ahead Welbeck to go residence after which taunt the travelling followers.
Brighton have been much more beneficiant for Liverpool’s Thirtieth-minute leveller.
Mamardashvili’s lengthy ball ahead introduced little hazard, however Seagulls skipper Dunk headed the ball backwards with out wanting, permitting Liverpool left-back Kerkez to nip in and instinctively lob stranded keeper Bart Verbruggen.
Kadioglu threatened to revive Brighton’s lead early within the second half earlier than Welbeck doubled his tally within the 56th minute.
Yankuba Minteh’s inviting cross from the left was turned again throughout the six-yard field by Jack Hinshelwood for the unmarked Welbeck to faucet residence after which leapfrog Dunk in celebration after a tense VAR evaluate.
Mamardashvili turned away a thunderous free-kick from Gomez as Brighton sought to double their benefit and later denied Minteh, both aspect of Verbruggen saving effectively from Jones on the different finish.
Seeking a second equaliser, Reds boss Slot despatched on Andrew Robertson and Federico Chiesa with slightly below quarter-hour to go.
The away aspect’s struggles to create continued, albeit Gakpo stung the palms of Verbruggen 5 minutes from time.
Brighton substitute Yasin Ayari had a goal-bound effort blocked by Jones earlier than the hosts held on throughout seven minutes of added time to ship Liverpool into the worldwide break on a three-match winless league run.
