LFC Toronto Match Review: Liverpool 3-3 Brighton

These days, one cannot miss the construction cranes hovering above Anfield Road for the re-development of the stand at that end of our beloved stadium.

On the pitch, it looks like the re-development of Liverpool’s style of play is also in dire need, especially in defence.

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When a Premier League team scores 3 goals at home, it is almost a given that the 3 points are in the bag. But this time, Liverpool had to share the spoils with a Brighton side which frankly, would have rightly felt hard done if it had lost this match.

The fact that all of Brighton’s goals were scored by one player calls into question why Liverpool’s defence did not shower more attention on Leandro Trossard, especially after he had put his team two-nil up after merely 17 minutes.

And it could have been worse for Liverpool in the first-half itself was it not for Alisson Becker spectacularly saving gilt-edged chances from Danny Wellbeck and that same Trossard again.

Perhaps Brighton taking a two-goal lead so early in the game was the silver lining to what was already a wretched afternoon by then. But with ample time left, it was very unlikely for Liverpool to throw in the towel, no matter how high the mountain to climb appeared to be at that stage.

Although Darwin Nunez arrived this past summer to fill the shoes of Sadio Mané, Bobby Firmino is progressively showing that a suitable replacement for the Senegalese was already in plain sight in the squad.

A brace by the Brazilian on each side of the interval allowed Liverpool to claw their way back in the game.

His second goal particularly stood out as the icing on a beautiful piece of teamwork that begun with Joel Matip defending a Brighton cross before ending with Firmino applying a cool finish after 4 other Liverpool players had carried the ball upfield. All that in the matter of a mere 15 seconds which showed how devastating the Reds can be when they click during counterattacks.

The home team had the momentum by now. It came as no surprise when they finally took the lead for the first time in the match on the 63rd minute, courtesy of an own goal by Seagulls defender Adam Webster on a Liverpool corner.

If Liverpool had previously not given up after going two goals down, Brighton also fought back. In such an open game, they duly equalised with their tormentor-in-chief Trossard exploiting a well below-par Reds defence once more.

In the aftermath of the humbling at Napoli in the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp singled out the defensive commitment (or lack thereof), especially the need to relentlessly press the opposition after losing possession.

This is pivotal in Liverpool’s style of playing a high defensive line which aims to immediately provide the most players on hand to swarm the opposition in the event of re-gaining possession; swiftly turning defence into attack that would catch the opposition like deer in the headlights.

After Klopp’s rallying cry, there were glimpses of our team back to its old self against Ajax. But in the post-Brighton game, the defensive back-line itself has now come under the spotlight.

Trent Alexander-Arnold immense contributions to the team in terms of goal assists are currently being eclipsed by his defensive lapses. So much so that it has become an open secret for any opposition to now pile their attacking moves on such a perceived weakest link on Liverpool’s right flank.

Trent’s slip, weak clearance and ball watching played into Brighton’s 3 goals. Those shortcomings could not even be offset by his corner kick that led to Liverpool’s third goal, nor by a well-crafted free kick which needed a stunning flying save from Brighton’s keeper.

The Scouser, no fault of his own, has been dragged into the spotlight during the international break as Gareth Southgate kept snubbing him in England’s national team, thereby sparking doubts about his inclusion in the World Cup squad next month.

We cannot help wondering if that is not playing in his mind and hence his defence frailties. Someone should reassure Trent that Southgate is not covering himself with glory with his pick of players: Maguire anyone?

Virgil van Dijk is probably the most important cog in effectively implementing that particular Liverpool high defensive line. That’s why Klopp stubbornly targeted him from Southampton even after the first transfer attempt in the summer of 2017 had ended in some embarrassment.

To see what VVD brings to the team, just recall when he was injured for most of the 2020-21 campaign or refer to the final league game of the season against Wolves last May to see the peril when he is absent.

Several times Wolves lobbed the ball behind our defenders who were then at pains to scramble back. In that must-win game for Liverpool, the Reds faced real risks of failing to do so if Wolves had capitalised on those chances with more clinical finishing.

But VVD’s recent quip of “we are not robots” after the Napoli game got us concerned whether this style of defensive play is finally catching up on the 30-year old. Against Brighton, he was singled out for failing to do what he would have readily done at any other time: intercepting the cross which led to Brighton’s third goal that ensured the eventual share of points.

It’s hardly a given that someone else can do an effective job in Liverpool’s defence as VVD has consistently done over the years. Ibrahima Konaté looks to have the physical attributes to fulfill that role but at 23 years, he still has quite a bit to learn in order to read the action on the pitch as well as VVD.

However, Klopp had already put up his hand a few weeks ago, recognising it is his responsibility to worry about those shortcomings and to come up with solutions.

In the meanwhile, it is to be hoped that everyone at the club does not forget what the most successful English manager once said. When asked what he understood by the fabled “Liverpool Way”, Bob Paisley replied that when the fog descends on you, you have to stick together.

Mike Chung.

YNWA