Brighton vs Liverpool LIVE: Hugo Ekitike injury latest after Reds stumble to another Premier League defeat

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike was forced off just seven minutes into the Premier League trip to Brighton to deal Arne Slot another injury blow after losing Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Alisson this week.

Welbeck doubled his tally in the 56th minute.

Yankuba Minteh’s inviting cross from the left was turned back across the six-yard box by Jack Hinshelwood for the unmarked Welbeck to tap home and then leapfrog Dunk in celebration after a tense VAR review.

Brighton were even more generous for Liverpool’s 30th-minute leveller.

Mamardashvili’s long ball forward presented little danger, but Seagulls skipper Dunk headed the ball backwards without looking, allowing Liverpool left-back Kerkez to nip in and instinctively lob stranded keeper Bart Verbruggen.

The visitors contributed to their own undoing as Brighton snatched a 14th-minute opener.

Ibrahima Konate gifted Albion a throw-in deep in Liverpool territory by miscontrolling a pass from Mamardashvili and, following Ferdi Kadioglu’s deep cross from the left, Diego Gomez nodded back across goal for former Manchester United forward Welbeck to head home and then taunt the travelling fans.

Arne Slot accepted that Liverpool have dropped too many points in the Premier League after playing in the Champions League as they suffered another blow to their hopes of finishing in the top-five with defeat at Brighton.

Danny Welbeck’s double earned Brighton a deserved victory over Slot’s side, who became the first reigning Premier League champions to lose 10 games in a season since Chelsea in 2017-18.

The Reds have lost five games of their 10 games immediately after playing in Europe this season, winning four and drawing one, as they failed to back up Wednesday’s big win over Galatasaray to reach the quarter-finals.

Already without Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Alisson to injuries, Liverpool lost Hugo Ekitike to a dead leg following a heavy collision with James Milner in the opening five minutes and they were outworked by an energetic Brighton team who were fully deserving of their fourth win in five games.

“What went wrong started off with the lead up to this game. As so many times has happened this season, when we played a very good game (against Galatasaray) and we thought we could bring that level to the next game, or even better, we had Mo Salah injured, we had Alisson injured and, after two minutes, Hugo Ekitike out.

“That has happened to us so many times this season and what happened to us a lot this season is that the first chance of the other team immediately went in. But in the second half Brighton were the better team and deserved to win.”

Arne Slot, speaking to TNT Sports, does not shy away from the face that Brighton were the better side against Liverpool today.

“It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe. I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is but today we also have to give credit to Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch.

“There is always pressure at Liverpool. On me, on the players. That is completely normal. We have qualified for the quarter finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League but in the league we need to make sure that in the end, we qualify for the Champions League.

“As much as I dislike us losing here today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and will always be a difficult one as long as they keep bringing in so many good players.

“But there are other games where we should have picked up more points, like last week against Tottenham. That is far more unacceptable than this. But even away at Brighton, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result.”

“Beating Man City in the FA Cup is the only thing he can control now. He can’t change anything about today.

“I think he’d be really disappointed in the overall performance. I think he acknowledged the fact that they were going to suffer at times today through what they had to put in midweek.

“They just couldn’t match Brighton’s intensity and energy levels throughout the 90 minutes today. In the second half, Brighton came out and really went through the gears. They lifted it to a level and Liverpool just couldn’t live with them.

“It was a big, big blow losing Ekitike early doors. It made them a bit toothless.”

“I think first and foremost it was a great team performance, it was a gritty 11 and we knew we had to put in the hard yards and for everybody to stick together because they’ve got some amazing quality on the pitch and the individual players that they can hurt you in any instant. It was a great performance, a massive three points for us today.

“I like to focus on the positive side. For my name to be mentioned in [the England conversation] is nice. I like to focus on that part of the game and me, I can only control what I can control. I don’t like to waste energy on something that I can’t, I have no sort of bearing on. So yeah, I focus on me.”

Liverpool have won just four of the 10 Premier League games they have played immediately after the Champions League, also losing four and drawing the other two.

After the international break, they will host Fulham and go away to Everton immediately after the first and second legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.