Liverpool 2, Brighton 2 - Match Recap: Two Dropped Points At Home
We react to Liverpool’s Premier League draw against Brighton and give you a chance to vote for Man of the Match.
Liverpool 2 - 2 Brighton
Liverpool: Henderson 3’, Mané 24’
Brighton: Mwepu 38’, Trossard 65’
Pre-Match
Konate kept his place alongside Virgil van Dijk after his performance at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, Curtis Jones took the place of the injured James Milner in the midfield.
First Half
The game began with Brighton pushing hard, clearly looking to steal a quick advantage. It ended with Solly March getting free and with way too much space, forcing Alisson into a great save in the first two minutes.
After that, Liverpool woke up and remembered who they were. One minute later, the Reds went streaming down the other side of the pitch. Mohamed Salah picked out Jordan Henderson, who rifles it past Robert Sanchez and into the top corner.
Despite Liverpool looking dominant in the first 15 minutes, Brighton still managed to find some good chances. The second came by way of Yves Bissouma, who got through Liverpool’s midfield with distressing ease and fired in a shot that is very awkward for Alisson. The keeper got a fingertip on it and forced a corner, maintaining Liverpool’s slim lead.
18 minutes in, Liverpool’s midfield injury problems got worse when Naby Keita was forced off the pitch after clutching his thigh. Klopp sent in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the early sub.
To his credit, Oxlade-Chamberlain proved his mettle only minutes later, lofting in a beautiful ball straight to Sadio Mané’s head. Mané made it two with characteristic ease.
He nearly got a brace in exuberant fashion. He and Salah put goalkeeper Sanchez under huge pressure on the ball. He tried getting it away from his goal, and Mané snuck in from the side and bustled the ball into the net from point blank range. Unfortunately for Mané, his arm got the last touch on it, and the goal is called back.
Credit to Enock Mwepu in the 38th minute, who got off an absolute thunderbolt of a strike from outside of the 18 yard box to pull one back for Brighton.
Second Half
The second half started out hot, with both Brighton and Liverpool getting early chances at goal. Salah scored a lovely goal, but again, VAR pulled it back, this time for offside.
As the match wore on, Liverpool lost control of the midfield, allowing Brighton to get back into the game. The creativity of Keita was missed in the middle of the pitch, and when Trossard equalized in the 65th minute off of an assist from former Liverpool man Adam Lallana, it seemed inevitable.
The rest of the match was a disappointment, as Liverpool looked to nab a last minute victory and keep all three points at Anfield.
Final Thoughts and Man of the Match
Midfield depletion might be taking its toll as Liverpool once again drop points from a winning position against Brighton.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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