Liverpool now faces a potentially catastrophic gap in the race for a top-four finish after Danny Welbeck scored twice to give Brighton a well-earned victory over Liverpool at the Amex Stadium.

Liverpool’s afternoon got off to a terrible start before it had even begun, while Brighton took full advantage of the disturbance.

Curtis Jones made an early entrance after Hugo Ekitike hobbled out after just eight minutes due to an unintentional contact with James Milner.

After 14 minutes, Welbeck was able to head his 11th league goal of the year into the net after Diego Gomez nodded back Ferdi Kadioglu’s diagonal ball to the far post.

Liverpool’s response came from an unexpected source. Unaware that Milos Kerkez had foreseen the situation and sprinted in behind, Lewis Dunk headed Mamardashvili’s long kick backwards.

READ ALSO:

In thirty minutes, the Liverpool left-back levelled the score by coolly lifting the bouncing ball over Verbruggen.

A well-known trend emerged in the second half. With a straightforward finish on minute 56, Brighton restored their advantage.

Jack Hinshelwood at the far post received a deep cross from Yankuba Minteh, and his cushioned touch put the ball in Welbeck’s path, who tucked it in from close range. Before the score was confirmed, there was a slight wait due to a VAR check for offside.

In the last moments, Liverpool tried to equalise, but Brighton was well-prepared. The home team put up a strong defence despite Gakpo testing Verbruggen from within the box and Jones coming close from a tight angle.

Liverpool has now lost ten Premier League games this season for the first time since 2015–16, putting their chances of qualifying for the Champions League in grave danger.

After the international break, Slot’s team will play Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinal and PSG in the Champions League last eight, but first, he needs to explain why his team still appears so weak.