After the international break gave Liverpool a much-needed pause to a miserable run of form, the Premier League returned to Anfield with a visit from Brighton.
The Seagulls were fourth in the table with a game in hand coming into this fixture, but that was under previous manager Graham Potter. New man Roberto De Zerbi made one change to the team that beat Leicester City, with Pervis Estupiñan replacing Enock Mwepu. Brighton lined up in a 3-4-2-1 shape.
Jürgen Klopp made three changes to the side that beat Ajax, as Jordan Henderson, Fabio Carvalho and Roberto Firmino came in for Harvey Elliott, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. Liverpool set up in their usual 4-3-3 formation.
Brighton took the lead just minutes into the match. Trent Alexander-Arnold headed away Solly March’s cross, but Moisés Caicedo bullied Henderson at the second ball, enabling Alexis Mac Allister to claim the loose ball and feed it to Danny Welbeck, who flicked it on first time to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian allowed the ball to roll under him, just out of the reach of Alexander-Arnold’s outstretched leg, seeing the Scouse full-back carry on past him and tumble as he turned, leaving Trossard with the space to finish past Alisson Becker.
They then doubled their lead. Brighton easily played around Liverpool’s press, but then Pascal Gross opted to hit it long. Alexander-Arnold cut out the pass, aiming to control it with his chest, but Danny Welbeck robbed him of the ball, nodding it wide to Estupiñan. Brighton then quickly worked the ball into the box with some slick passing: Estupiñan poked the ball behind Alexander-Arnold to return it to Welbeck, pulling Joël Matip wide, who pulled it back for March on the edge of the box, who immediately fired it first time into the feet of Trossard. Welbeck’s cut-back changed the angle of attack, causing Liverpool’s defenders to turn to adapt to the new angle, only for March’s one-touch pass to revert the attack back to the original angle – within a second Liverpool’s defenders were expected to turn then turn back immediately. This well-worked move again gave Trossard the space to let the ball run across him and fire past Alisson.
Right from the off Liverpool aimed to pressure Brighton high up the pitch. This actually worked fairly well early on, with Brighton looking quite sloppy in possession and willing to pump it long over the press, handing the ball back to Liverpool.
As Liverpool began to press with less intensity and Brighton, with the benefit of a lead, calmed down, the Seagulls found it easier to play around Liverpool’s press. Liverpool’s forward trio could be baited into pressing with a short pass, going man-for-man with Brighton’s back three, but with Robert Sanchez helping them, the centre-backs were often able to break through this first line of pressure. The real issue for Liverpool was in midfield, where Thiago Alcântara and Henderson would be pulled forward onto Mac Allister and Caicedo. Thiago and Henderson getting pulled forward meant they were no longer in positions to get wide and pressure Estupiñan or March, requiring Kostas Tsimikas and Alexander-Arnold to step out of the backline to meet them, while it also left Fabinho alone with both Trossard and Gross between the lines. Liverpool’s midfield were already outnumbered four to three, but factor in that the outside central midfielders are also expected to deal with the opposition wing-backs and that becomes six to three.
This is in no way a new issue – Liverpool’s midfield has been left routinely stretched like this for several years now – yet nothing has ever been done to address the problem. In fact, the team have become even more stubbornly wedded to the 4-3-3 as they have declined. Even if it rarely worked, Klopp used to at least occasionally switch to a 4-2-3-1, but now, even with the midfielders’ legs gone and no new signings to freshen the side, they are more dedicated to demanding just three men cover this massive space than ever.
When Liverpool’s midfielders are unable to defend the width of the pitch, this places their full-backs under more pressure. Despite playing in a back four, Liverpool’s full-backs are expected to defend like wing-backs, rushing out of the backline to pressure an opposition wideman higher up the pitch, often moving up into midfield, rather than holding their position. This inevitably leaves a gap behind them for the opposition to exploit.
Brighton took full advantage of this. With the attacking trio plus the two wing-backs, the away side were able to overload Liverpool’s backline five against four. Unsurprisingly given he is in truly horrendous form, Brighton were targetting Alexander-Arnold in particular. They would knock the ball out to Estupiñan, Alexander-Arnold would move out to him, then Trossard would attack the space behind him, forcing Matip across to cover and leaving a gap in the centre for Brighton to exploit.
Nevertheless Liverpool did manage to mount a comeback.
They had been struggling to play out, as Brighton would have their forwards push up onto the centre-backs and Fabinho to cut off the short passing options, causing Liverpool to go long instead.
The Reds largely ditched the wide wingers set-up though. Carvalho came inside into the centre to join Roberto Firmino dropping off between the lines, with Tsimikas overlapping down the left, while Mohamed Salah would come inside to make runs in behind, into a space he has avoided in favour of staying wide for most of the season so far.
Liverpool pulled a goal back when a deflection bounced for Henderson to knock over the top for Salah. The Egyptian touched the ball down before Sanchez could get to it, allowing Firmino following up to finish.
They then equalised with a simple counter attack. Henderson found Thiago, who in turn found substitute Luis Diaz, allowing Liverpool to get from back to front in a matter of seconds. Diaz cut inside and fed the ball to Firmino, who took a touch in the opposite direction to where Lewis Dunk was going, creating space for himself to dink the ball past Sanchez.
Liverpool then completed their comeback with an own goal from a corner. Brighton’s defenders failed to attack the cross and Sanchez missed his weak punch, allowing the ball to run through and deflect in off of Adam Webster.
Brighton had eased off to protect their lead, but having gone behind they now woke back up again. They now had an even easier time attacking though, thanks to a truly horrendous double substitution by Klopp.
With Andy Robertson out injured and a Champions League game in mid-week to think about, he removed Tsimikas for James Milner at left-back. The 36 year-old was too slow to effectively play as a full-back in 2018 and those years since have not been kind to him. For years Liverpool have avoided strengthening in several positions on the basis that Milner could act as back-up, but just because he could, doesn’t mean he should, and this season has stretched that “could” to its absolute limit. Milner’s drop in performance is now so great that Liverpool would likely be better off playing with ten men than including Milner, because at least an empty space cannot actively hand the ball to the opposition.
Klopp’s other change saw Henderson replaced by Harvey Elliott. Alexander-Arnold was already struggling, beaten pretty much any time Brighton attempted it, and not being offered enough support by a stretched midfield, so Klopp decided to make things even more difficult for the right-back by bringing on a teenage winger to be the man meant to be offering him protection in midfield.
Unsurprisingly Brighton equalised by attacking down this left side. Webster evaded Salah’s press then found Welbeck between the lines, and he spread the ball wide to March, who, as had happened basically every time it went wide, knocked the ball into the space behind Alexander-Arnold for Kaoru Mitoma attacking the gap, drawing Matip wide. Mitoma crossed into the box, where Virgil van Dijk was following Adam Lallana as Welbeck went free. Welbeck missed the cross but the ball ran through to Trossard, who shot first time to complete his hat-trick.
Liverpool put in a miserable performance, looked like they were going to get away with it, but then still messed it up.
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