(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Brighton - Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp can't remember a worse game as Liverpool manager than the Premier League game here last season, capping a pretty miserable fortnight as they were dumped out of the FA Cup just a week later. But as he celebrates eight years in the job, he's eager to put that performance and last weekend's VAR debacle behind him against what he thinks is the best coached team in the Premier League at present. He's had problems, Roberto Deservey, we'll get on to them in a second, but three and four changes for Jürgen Klopp, no Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones banned, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunes return, Harvey Elliott gets his first Premier League start of the season after some really impressive cameos, and another strong performance on Thursday night as well. Six changes for Brighton as well, a change in goal, Bart Verbruggen comes in for Jason Steele, they've got real problems at left-back, Tarek Lamptey not in the squad, Stupinan is out too, so it might be Pascal Gross that will have to sit in there. Injury also rules out James Milner, who can play there as well. And also a change at the heart of their defence, Adam Webster left out, meaning there's a Premier League debut for Igor Julio, youngster Carlos Baleba is preferred to Billy Gilmore, Simon Adingrat also starts, and Adam Lallana amongst the substitutes for Brighton here today as well. Good strides made there by Joel Veltman, curtailed by Luis Diaz, who wanted to just stop that quick. So, first test for Liverpool there inside the first four minutes of this Premier League encounter, and it's Pascal Gross who's over it, flights it in, and Virgil van Dijk falling to his knees along the way. It will be a Brighton corner. Are they alive to the set play of Pascal Gross? Into that near post, one off the training ground as the shot comes in from Solly March, still not clear, might have just been a really telling touch of Virgil van Dijk as Louis Dunck was waiting to pull the trigger. Early warning shot from Brighton. Dispossessed, and McAllister had his pocket picked there, and how well did he do? Simon Adingrat really with an awful mistake from Liverpool in the end. A player that was coached by Jimmy Traore along his way, the former Liverpool full-back, on loan at Union SG, the opposition on Thursday night, and not the start to life as an opposition player at the Amex that Alexis McAllister wanted. And Brighton have the early goal. Yeah, really alert, wasn't it, from the Brighton man there. Adingrat, he's anticipating, he's just waiting for that ball to be passed in towards McAllister. There's a few players around, but look how aware he is of the position of Alisson. Alisson just gives him a yard or so, it doesn't give him a great deal, but that is executed absolutely superbly well from the young man Adingra, to win the ball and then the decision-making to finish it off as well. Alisson's at full stretch, you think he may well get there, but he just manages to find the corner, and after a quiet start to the game, it's Brighton who get the opener. Space opening up for Buleva and so much space as well. Thought about the shot a lot earlier than that, but in the end just inches wide of the left hand of Alisson Becker. He covered a lot of ground, didn't he? I think it was a bit fortunate the way it did come to him. But there's a big space for him to drive into, he's looking for options, just opened up for the shot. Far away from hitting the target, good energy from him. Powerful run forward. Win it back through McAllister. Lovely turn from Diaz, it should have been in there to Harvey Elliott, eventually finds Mo Salah, and there is the opportunity. Fortune favouring the brave for Mo Salah, who ends that relative long wait for him for a goal away from Anfield. Takes Kenny Dalglish's record of the most goals against Brighton in history, now he's got seven. More important, Liverpool back in the game at 1-1. Well, it's absolutely brilliant attacking football, just watch and admire. Brighton playing the ball out, we win the ball back on the halfway line, the speed of the way we move the ball. Sobers lying to Diaz, it's an outstanding turn, I thought he could have gone to Elliott first time. Really good ball from Darwin Nunez. That is really clever play from Harvey Elliott. He's made the run forward, you get into that position inside the penalty, you're thinking, I might shoot. Look how aware he is of Mo Salah just behind him. And I'm sure there must have been a shout from Mo Salah there. He's in the space, on that left foot of his, rolls it in towards that far corner. It's clinical, it's superb attacking play, back on level terms. Trying to play out again, they're in big problems here, Brighton with Sobers' slide brought down. It will be looked at, the second one is a penalty, as the onrushing Diaz comes in and is felled. And a decision to make here for the referee, as well as Brighton protest at the first one, and then the second one was definitely being thought about by VAR. Sobers' slide with his shirt pulled from around his neck by Pascal Gros. You only have to look at that once. It's a penalty. Picture of concentration. Of the 34, he scored 27. Make that 28! Liverpool go into the half-time break with a lead of two goals to one. And it's that man again, Mo Salah. And he's put Liverpool tails well and truly up. 2-1, they lead. Well, it's an excellent penalty and an excellent few moments for Salah. Bang, bang, from 1-0 down, Liverpool now lead. He keeps his focus, his concentration. Goalkeeper goes to right. Well, he can't get anywhere near that, it's a really good penalty from Mo Salah. Ferguson's ball out to the hand side now, and come raining forward again. Brighton, the first goalscorer, was sniffing a second there. Seaman Addinger. Well, it's a huge moment, what an unbelievable save that is with his left arm. I'm hoping it's not, his left arm is winded from this. Good break from Brighton. That is an unbelievable save, it really is. Look at that, he spreads himself, makes himself nice and big, and with that left hand, he denies Brighton a certain equalising goal. It's absolutely brilliant from Alisson. Let's check Alexander-Arnold. Sobbersly. A space now for Nunez to pick. Sobbersly's made that run, a clever run as well from Sobbersly! Against the bar from Gravenberch! A superb play from Nunez in the build-up, driving run in that space between the defence and midfield. Great run forward from Sobbersly, you're thinking, what's he gonna do, who's he gonna pick out? Gravenberch at the far post. He'd be disappointed he's not hit the back of the net, but let's give him credit for the ground he's covered to get in that position. Nice find from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Andrew Robertson in that centre-forward position here, Sobbersly opens up the pitch here for Luis Diaz! Just wide of that near post, and I don't think there was much in it in the end either. Yeah, really good move, big chance wasn't it for Diaz, had to double-take Andy Robertson, centre-forward position, laying it off to Sobbersly. Tries to beat the goalkeeper in his near post, he wasn't far away, I wondered if he'd gone across goal. He gave himself a better chance of scoring. They can hold on, Liverpool, and the response to last weekend's disappointment's been really good. Matoma. Sao Pedro round the wrong side of Joel Matip, against the hand of Virgil van Dijk, that will be looked at. Not sure he could do too much about it, the Liverpool skipper, but the shouts are big and ferocious from the fans inside the stadium here, but players allowed to go on as they pour over the replays. Liverpool holding their breath. Indecision again between Matip and McAllister, this time it's out for a corner, and this is the incident they're talking about. Matoma's shot there, when it hits Virgil's thigh it comes back up, there's no way that can be given. It's his thigh first, the flex onto his arm, what you would say about Matoma is he gets it shot all wrong, it's a sideways shot in the end. He's made his feelings very clear, and he will be booked. Dribbling his way down an impossible alley and somehow manages to get the decision. He'd completely run the ball out of his own possession here, hadn't he? And an interesting area for Brighton. March it is, over the top of it, and it's bundled in! By Lewis Dunk, the captain found his way into that real body of danger, really. Looking to see if there was an offside, there wasn't. It's not defended well, is it? It's put in between the last line of defence and the goalkeeper, and I don't think Dunk can believe his luck. A couple of Liverpool players who may well be able to deal with that delivery, Andy Robertson at the near post. McAllister behind him, and Dunk runs in between Nunez and Kanata, Brighton can sense an opportunity here. Veltman, smart feet, again from Addinger. Ball into the box, yeah, Pedro with so much room! And somehow can't divert the ball into Liverpool's goal. Big opportunity spurn. Should have scored. What a let-off that is for Liverpool, it's a fortunate deflection. The way it comes back to him in that path, it's nice play down the right-hand side, you can see the space he has inside the box, it's a big deflection off Virgil van Dijk. And that is the last of the action of a quite pulsating Premier League encounter with two of the most exciting Premier League teams to watch at present. Which way would it go? Liverpool in such a strong advantage for such a long time through this fellow who broke another record as the Liverpool player to score the most goals against Brighton, but Louis Dunk, who has had the Midas touch from time to time where Liverpool are concerned before, with a really smart finish to level things up. But disappointment ultimately, it's ended here. Brighton 2-2 Liverpool.