5 talking points as Liverpool pegged back by Brighton amid worrying trend

BRIGHTON 2-2 LIVERPOOL: Lewis Dunk came up trumps as he found a late equaliser for the Seagulls, who matched Liverpool for much of the contest at the Amex with Mohamed Salah’s brace only good enough for a point

Liverpool were forced to hang on for a point at Brighton as the Seagulls continue to show they can mix it with the Premier League’s elite.

The Seagulls have enjoyed an upward trajectory and they will feel aggrieved they didn’t take all three points after Joao Pedro missed a golden chance to seal the win after Lewis Dunk had drawn the Seagulls level at the Amex.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side had the first and last say as Simon Adingra gave them a first-half lead, owing to an Alexis Mac Allister error as Liverpool, once again conceded first in a match. Mohamed Salah then bagged a brace before the interval, his second strike coming from the spot, as Liverpool found themselves having to come from behind.

They spurned chances to make the game safe and Dunk made Brighton’s late dominance count when he converted from a set piece. The Seagulls missed chances to seal a statement three points, leaving De Zerbi frustrated after what was a frantic, end-to-end final period.

Here’s five talking points from the Amex.

Lewis Dunk rescued a point for Brighton
Brighton’s bottle
It feels as though, for all their attractive play, that the wind could have been taken out of Brighton’s sail this past week. European qualification last term ramped up the expectations and they way they dismantled Newcastle and then made light work of their away day in Manchester underlined their quality.

Eight days ago they shipped six at Aston Villa, another side looking to break into the Premier League established, and had they let the lead slip against Liverpool it would’ve left them somewhat deflated. Instead, their late leveller showed that Brighton are able to mix it with the elite, both physically and psychologically, as they too showed their powers of recovery.

Frustrating Klopp-iversary
Eight years ago today FSG made the best decision of their 13-year long premiership when they appointed Klopp – a man who had put Europe on notice by winning successive Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund. He was “the normal one” in his first press conference, but he’s turned out to be anything but.

Even in his early months, despite inheriting a below par squad, there was signs of what his rock and roll Liverpool side would look like. Within four years he’d delivered Europe’s top prize and a year later he ended the three decade wait for a top flight success.

He wasn’t able to mark his anniversary with a win as Brighton’s skipper levelled the game late on with Liverpool having to show their fighting qualities to get a point.

Liverpool’s Egyptian forward put them in front from the spot
Salah’s favourite opponents
The Egyptian managed to turn the game around before half-time as he finished from close range before converting from the spot. His second strike was his 14th goal involvement against Brighton – the joint most of any team in the Premier League alongside Manchester United.

Salah has scored eight times against Brighton, providing a further six assists in his 13 appearances. They have proved to be a club he excels against and that was again the case on Sunday.

Simon Adingra gave Brighton a first-half leadMost Read
Liverpool’s worrying trend
Klopp must hope that eventually his team don’t need to concede a goal before waking up and realising they need to up their levels. On the south coast though the Reds were true to form and the hosts started the better before making Liverpool pay early on.

They scored first, opening the scoring just after the 20 minute mark with the Merseysiders failing to really fire a shot. The goal at the Amex was the fifth time in eight games that Klopp has seen his side concede the first goal. Now on three of those occasions they’ve fought back to claim three points, but their appetite for comebacks cannot – and will not – last forever.

Midway through the first-half though and his decision to show for the ball cost Liverpool as he was quickly dispossessed, which allowed Adingra to seize on an out of position Alisson to put the Seagulls ahead as Mac Allister was left to hear the cheers of the fans who once chanted his name.