Brighton & Hove Albion's impressive winning streak was stopped by Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday. A first-half own goal from Pascal Gross and a strike from Alexander Isak secured a 2-0 victory for the hosts, moving them back into the top four.
The result leaves Brighton third in the Premier League on 16 points from seven games, five points behind leaders Manchester City. Fabian Hürzeler's side had won their previous four league matches, scoring 15 goals in the process, but found Liverpool's defence and new loanee Ronald Araujo a tough obstacle.
How the game unfolded
Liverpool started strongly and took the lead in the 17th minute. Florian Wirtz's low shot from the edge of the box took a decisive deflection off Gross and flew past Bart Verbruggen. Just four minutes later, the lead was doubled. Bradley Barcola blocked an attempted clearance from Olivier Boscagli and immediately delivered a cross into the six-yard box, where Isak guided a finish home from close range.
Brighton's best chance of the first half fell to Yasin Ayari in the 14th minute, but he blazed over from a promising position after a cut-back from Gross. Ayari later struck the post with a bending effort in the 36th minute. Verbruggen was forced into a sharp save just before halftime to deny Araujo, who was influential on his debut following his season-long loan from Barcelona.
Hürzeler made changes at the break, introducing Jack Hinshelwood, but Brighton struggled to create clear openings against a disciplined Liverpool backline. The Seagulls committed more men forward in the second period but could not find a way past Alisson, with Jeremy Jacquet and Araujo making important interventions to preserve the clean sheet.
The manager's view
Fabian Hürzeler acknowledged the quality of the opposition. “Ronald Araujo has had an immediate positive impact at Anfield,” he said of Liverpool's new defender. The Brighton boss made four changes to his starting lineup from the midweek Europa Conference League draw with FK Jablonec, restoring players like Isak and Barcola.
The defeat ends a run where Brighton had scored 23 goals in their previous seven matches across all competitions. They remain the division's top scorers with 23 league goals this season, but this was a rare off-day in front of goal. Key striker C. Kostoulas, who has three goals this term, was kept quiet.
Brighton now turn their attention to a massive fixture next weekend, an away trip to face league leaders Manchester City on 31 October. The Seagulls will look to bounce back and maintain their position in the upper reaches of the standings.
The report in full is at Daily Mirror Football
Brighton had 63% possession and 14 shots but only one on target at Anfield, the club's official match data showed. Liverpool had 13 attempts with four on target. The defeat leaves Brighton third in the Premier League on 16 points from seven games. Manager Fabian Hürzeler said, "We had the ball but lacked the final punch." The Seagulls, who have scored 23 league goals this season, next face leaders Manchester City on October 31.
On October 25, striker Alexander Isak said Liverpool's first-half intensity was key to their 2-0 win. "The first half is what we want to be about: winning balls and the intensity," Isak told reporters defeat, Brighton's first without a goal this season, leaves them third on 16 points. Manager Fabian Hürzeler said it was a missed opportunity, citing early chances and defensive mistakes.
