Liverpool missed the chance to go second in the Premier League when they were held to an exciting 2-2 draw against Brighton on Sunday.
Later, Manchester City have the chance to reclaim the top spot in the table when they face Arsenal in a showdown between last season’s top two teams.
With this result, Liverpool now trails leaders Tottenham by three points. After their rightful frustration over a VAR error that cost them a goal in last weekend’s match against Spurs, Jurgen Klopp’s team will likely feel hard done by yet another refereeing decision.
Pascal Gross managed to evade a red card despite bringing down Dominik Szoboszlai, resulting in a penalty that led to Liverpool’s second goal just before half-time.
During the initial half-hour, the visiting team struggled to keep up with Brighton’s pace.
Alexis Mac Allister had a tough time in his return to the Amex Stadium and was partly responsible for the opening goal. He was dispossessed by Simon Adingra, who capitalized on Alisson Becker’s off-guard position by taking an early shot from outside the box.
Following a promising start to the season, Brighton has now secured just one victory in six games, likely affected by the demands of European football on Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.
Although the Seagulls’ bold style of play has earned them praise, Liverpool exploited their vulnerabilities to overturn the game’s momentum five minutes before the halftime break.
On two occasions, Brighton paid the price for losing possession in their own half. Harvey Elliot, showing great teamwork, allowed Darwin Nunez’s pass to reach Mohamed Salah, who calmly slotted in the equalizer.
Liverpool’s aggressive pressing led to a penalty, with Szoboszlai dispossessing Gross and being brought down by the German midfielder. Salah confidently converted the spot-kick. However, Liverpool will question why they didn’t face a 10-man Brighton for the remainder of the match.
Ryan Gravenberch was brought in at halftime to bolster the Liverpool midfield and had a golden opportunity to make it 3-1, but he struck the crossbar with an open goal after another excellent play from Szoboszlai.
This miss proved costly as Lewis Dunk leveled the score 12 minutes before the end. Brighton had a glorious chance to secure all three points when Joao Pedro skied a late opportunity over the bar.