Brighton 3-0 Liverpool: Solly March brace and Danny Welbeck condemn Reds to sobering defeat at AMEX
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ByEurosport
Updated 14/01/2023 at 21:22 GMT
Brighton piled more misery on Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp after a stunning 3-0 victory at the AMEX. Solly March scored twice after half time before Danny Welbeck put the icing on the cake late on. The defeat is Liverpool’s sixth in the league this season and saw their triumphant opponents leapfrog them in the Premier League table.
Worst defeat of my career says Klopp as Liverpool lose 3-0 to Brighton
Liverpool’s underwhelming season fell to a new low as they suffered an eye-opening 3-0 loss at Brighton.
Solly March grabbed a brace and substitute Danny Welbeck added a third, with all goals coming in the second half as the Seagulls ran riot at the Amex.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have now suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats, fall to eighth and remain seven points behind the top-four.
The opening half also belonged to Brighton, with the visitors unable to cope with their intensity. Brighton, however, couldn’t find the net despite creating a number of opportunities.
Their first fell to March, whose curling effort had beaten Alisson Becker but the Liverpool goalkeeper was bailed out by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goal-line clearance.
Kaoru Mitoma was a constant threat down Brighton’s left and should have done better when he was slipped in as he poked his shot wide.
Brighton thought they had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when the referee pointed to the spot after March was tripped by Alisson, but the decision was overturned by VAR for offside.
But a minute after the restart, the hosts finally got their noses in front after a mistake by Joel Matip. The defender’s poor pass was pounced on by Alexis Mac Allister, Mitoma took control and his cross was tapped home by March.
Six minutes later, March was on the scoresheet again. Evan Ferguson released him on the edge of the box and even though his first touch took him wide he found the net with a terrific effort from 18 yards to give the Reds a mountain to climb.
And although a desperate Klopp made four substitutions with 20 minutes remaining, the visitors never looked like getting back into the game.
Welbeck rubbed salt into the wound with a beauty; after flicking it over the head of Joe Gomez, he fired past a helpless Alisson.
The result sees Brighton leapfrog Liverpool into seventh in the table.
Talking point - a new low for Liverpool
For the fifth time this season, Liverpool have lost away from home, with their only wins coming at Tottenham in November and Aston Villa on Boxing Day. This loss, coming so close in time to the 3-1 defeat at Brentford, will sting particularly badly.
The Reds are now 15 points worse off than they were at this stage and, more importantly, are seven points adrift of the top-four. Their season seems to be going from bad to worse every passing week.
As for Brighton, their memorable campaign continues with this historic victory over Liverpool. Many feared they would dip under Roberto De Zerbi but if anything, they have gone from strength to strength. Champions League football may be a stretch next season but there’s no reason why they can’t claim a top-six finish.
Player of the match - Solly March (Brighton)
With two goals and an assist, March was the standout player for Brighton, and there were many. There was always clearly potential with March but now he's producing the goods on a weekly basis.
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Brighton's English midfielder Solly March (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton
Image credit: Getty Images
Player ratings
Liverpool: Allison 6, Alexander-Arnold 4, Konate 5, Matip 4, Robertson 5, Fabinho 5, Henderson 5, Thiago 5, Oxlade-Chamberlain 5, Gakpo 6, Salah 5.. Subs: Kelleher, Gomez 4, Keita 5, Elliott 5, Doak 5.
Brighton: Sanchez 7, Dunk 7, Colwill 7, Estupinan 7, Caicedo 8, Mac Allister 8, Gross 8, March 9*, Lallana 7, Mitoma 9, Ferguson 8.. Subs: Lamptey N/A, Webster N/A, Welbeck 8, Sarmiento N/A, Veltman 6.
Match highlights
8’- SO CLOSE! Sizzling build-up play from Brighton as they work it behind the lines before switching it to March on the right. His effort is goal-bound before Alexander-Arnold makes a vital intervention to prevent Brighton from grabbing an opener.
29’ - MITOMA IS THROUGH! The Brighton forward gets in behind Alexander-Arnold to latch onto a through-ball but he pokes it wide with the outside of his foot. A poor finish. Another Brighton chance goes begging.
42’ - VAR OVERTURN PENALTY CALL! March is slipped in by Ferguson, Alisson is off his line quickly and clips the Brighton forward and the referee points to the spot. He looks offside, however, and VAR is going to have a look. No penalty! Yes, March was well offside and the decision is overturned. It's another let off for Liverpool, though.
47’- GOAL! BRIGHTON 1-0 LIVERPOOL (SOLLY MARCH): Brighton get the goal they deserve! Matip plays a poor pass, Mac Allister wins the ball, it's switched wide to Mitoma whose cross is slotted home at the back post by March.
53’ - BRIGHTON 2-0 LIVERPOOL (SOLLY MARCH): They're running away with this! Oh, and what a beauty from March. He's oozing confidence as he grabs a brace. Ferguson sends March through and even though his first touch takes it wide, he still somehow finds the net with an effort from 18 yards.
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