Brighton scored three times at Anfield, and could’ve netted another couple.
Not for the first time after a Liverpool match, this season, there was praise for Alisson Becker despite him conceding more than once. Jurgen Klopp cut a frustrated post-match figure as more points were dropped in the pursuit of Arsenal and Manchester City.
Brighton went 2-0 up after only 15 minutes, at Anfield, with Leandro Trossard taking advantage of a couple of defensive aberrations – Trent Alexander Arnold had a poor start – to fire past Alisson.
A brace from Roberto Firmino and a Brighton own goal saw Liverpool take the lead with less than half an hour to go, but Brighton were not done. With new manager Roberto di Zebri urging them on from the sideline, the visitors pressed forward and Trossard scored his hat-trick after a Virgil van Dijk error.
Following the game, which leaves Liverpool in eighth place and 11 points off Arsenal, Klopp looked exasperated as he admitted his team conceding first to the opposition was a genuine concern.
Leandro Trossard of Brighton & Hove Albion celebrates with team mates after scoring their sides first goal against Liverpool. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Jurgen Klopp mades stark admission
At the tail-end of last season, Liverpool conceding the first goal in games saw them lose the Champions League final and drop two points in a home league draw with Spurs.
When Leandro Trossard rifled home the first goal for Brighton, it meant Liverpool had conceded first for the fifth time in seven Premier League games, this season.
“This game has different stories,” Jurgen Klopp told BBC Sport after the 3-3 draw. “There is the story of how we conceded two early goals, there is the story of how we came back in the game, then there is the story of how we threw it away.
“Brighton are a really good football team and a real team. It was a different formation, we were surprised a little bit? Yes a little. But we were already 2-0 down when we adapted from that. We scored our goals which were the counter-attacks. We could have won but would we have deserved to win? I’m actually not sure. Brighton deserved something.
“With all the good things we did during the week, the confidence is a little flower and when someone stamps on it, it is really difficult. We have to accept it. Of course it is not enough for us but it is what we got.”
As Klopp continued, his admission about conceding first, and how his side is struggling to address the issue, was starling. He commented:
“I spoke to the boys in a similar way to how I speak to you. I don’t know how many times I have to say we need a reaction. The first goal has an impact on both teams. They were flying and we were somewhere in between. They used that for the second goal.
“We could have defended much better. It’s football and you have to accept it. On a day like this when it starts like this, it’s important to fight your way through. It would be nice if you could win it. We always have problems against Brighton who are a very good football team but we have to do better.
“I know we have 10 points and that’s the reality. I don’t hide from that. We have to go together and build.”
Up next for Liverpool is a Champions League clash with Rangers, who have lost their opening two fixtures of the group stages and will be desperate to get a result.
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