Match reportLiverpool suffer Premier League defeat at Brighton
Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion in their Premier League clash at Amex Stadium.
Goals in either half from Danny Welbeck earned the home side the three points on Saturday.
Milos Kerkez had brought the Reds level with an instinctive, dinked finish before the interval.
Team
Giorgi Mamardashvili replaced Alisson Becker in goal, with the No.1 ruled out due to injury.
Cody Gakpo also returned in place of the absent Mohamed Salah on the south coast.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Van Dijk, Konate (Chiesa, 77), Kerkez (Robertson, 77), Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Ekitike (Jones, 8), Frimpong (Ngumoha, 63), Gravenberch.
Unused subs: Woodman, Gomez, Nyoni, Ramsay, Morrison.
First half
Before the game had chance to develop any clear pattern, Liverpool were forced into an early change as Hugo Ekitike picked up a knock.
The attacker was unable to continue after a clash on the halfway line and was replaced by Curtis Jones.
Dominik Szoboszlai signalled early intent for the Reds with a shot over the bar, but it was the hosts who took the lead in the 14th minute with their first attack.
A deep cross into the box was headed back across goal by Diego Gomez and the ball was then met by Welbeck, who nodded into the net.
The Reds responded by dominating possession and Alexis Mac Allister forced Bart Verbruggen into his first save of the afternoon.
Szoboszlai’s cross was met by his fellow midfielder in the area as he powered a header towards the bottom corner of the net.
Liverpool, however, were level on the half-hour mark after quick thinking from full-back Kerkez.
A long kick forward was headed back towards goal by home captain Lewis Dunk, though the Reds’ No.6 had followed its path.
His darting run paid off as he met the loose ball and produced a brilliant flick over the goalkeeper inside the box to restore parity in the contest.
Ahead of the interval both teams battled for the lead, with Mamardashvili forced to claw away a dangerous ball into the six-yard box by Yankuba Minteh.
Florian Wirtz also had a low shot saved by Verbruggen in the last of the action in the opening period.
Second half
Liverpool started after the break on the front foot, but it was the Seagulls who threatened with two quick chances.
Ferdi Kadioglu produced a driving run to the edge of the area to hit a low shot that was pushed away, ahead of Mats Wieffer rising to head wide at the resulting corner.
Ahead of the hour, the home side got themselves back in front with a well-worked move.
Minteh delivered a low cross from the left flank for Jack Hinshelwood, who touched the ball back across the six-yard box for Welbeck to score, with a VAR check confirming no offside.
Gomez then forced Mamardashvili into a stern save from a free-kick, while Jones turned and shot low inside the box, making Verbruggen do similar.
In the Reds’ search for an equaliser, Mac Allister saw a free header from a corner ball fly wide of the mark, while at the other end Minteh raced through again, though Liverpool’s goalkeeper sprung into action to close down the angle.
In the latter stages, Hinshelwood was unable to convert a low cutback from substitute Kaoru Mitoma, and Gakpo worked Verbruggen once more, hitting a curling shot after driving into the box to turn.
Jones then blocked an effort off the line following a scramble in the area after a corner ball for the home side, in the last of the meaningful action.