Brighton player ratings vs Liverpool: Plenty of 6s and 7s but one 8 as depleted Albion fall to narrow defeat

Danny Welbeck’s superb half volley opened the scoring within two minutes but goals from Luis Diaz and Mo Salah either side of half-time sealed a crucial win for the hosts.

Both sides created chances in an action-packed first-half, with Simon Adingra particularly lively for the visitors.

Salah missed a hatful of good chances for Jurgen Klopp’s side and it seemed like they were showing signs of frustration before Diaz capitalised on an error at the back by Joel Vetman.

Liverpool were straight back on the front foot after the break and Albion were struggling to counter attack as freely before Salah finally found the net to give the Reds the lead.

It was a beautiful pass by former Seagull Alexis Mac Allister that created the goal.

Albion reacted by stepping up their attacking play but they left gaps to exploit and Diaz had the ball in the net after a quick counter attack following a slip by Welbeck. VAR came to Brighton’s rescue, though, as Diaz was offside when his shot squirmed underneath Verbruggen.

Salah missed another glorious chance to double the hosts’ advantage on the break before Lewis Dunk forced Caoimhin Kelleher into a nervy – and rare – save up the other end.

Adam Lallana had a big impact when he came on with a great chance against his former team, as Brighton pushed for a leveller.

Liverpool remained a threat on the break, with Verbruggen making a great save from Salah.

We’ll never know the impact Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma could have made if they were fit for Roberto De Zerbi’s depleted side, who battled hard in the closing stages but fell to a narrow defeat.

Here are our Brighton player ratings:

Bart Verbruggen – 7: Took his time with first-half goal kicks when Brighton were leading. No chance with Diaz’s strike to level the scoring from close range. Decent save from the Columbia forward’s low shot shortly afterwards. Off his line quickly to tame Salah. Liverpool had 14 shots on goal in the first half but not too many of those troubled Verbruggen. Easy save from Darwin Nunez. Can’t blame him for Salah’s goal. Ball squirmed underneath him for the third goal, which was poor. He was lucky VAR came to the rescue. Big save at his near post at 2-1.

Joel Veltman – 6: Big mistake for the first goal. Otherwise was solid, with a couple of crucial challenges and blocks.

Lewis Dunk – 8: Very solid as he looked to put his mistakes on international duty with England behind him. There to pick up the pieces on multiple occasions. No nonsense defending. TNT Sport reported that the defender ended van Dijk’s aerial dual streak which stretched back to January. Important interventions.

Jan Paul van Hecke – 7: Stood up tall and strong against a relentless Liverpool attack. One rash challenge of note and was fortunate not to be booked.

Tariq Lamptey – 6: A tough afternoon for the pacey wider man. Beaten by Joe Gomez on a few occasions. Lacks a bit of strength. Good recovery challenges.

Carlos Baleba – 7: Promising performance in the absence of key man Billy Gilmour. Up against a formidable team, he really held his own and did his individual jobs well.

Pascal Gross – 7: Showed his class in moments but just lacked that final ball on the day. Booked for foul on Mac Allister

Pervis Estupinan – 7: Decent ball into the box after a forward run down the left. Interception high up the pitch. Linked up well with Adingra. Looked tired in the second half but kept going and battled hard.

Simon Adingra – 7: A real menace in the first half. Dangerous run and had to be brought down illegally by former Seagull Alexis Mac Allister, who picked up a booking. Shot blocked after link up play with Moder. Poor cut back after good run – Welbeck was open. Impact faded in second half.

Jakub Moder – 7: Solid. No mistakes of note and was involved in some good attacking moves. Great to see him get more minutes.

Danny Welbeck – 7: Superb goal after two minutes – what a way to mark his 100th Premier League game for Brighton! Has now scored 15 Premier League goals against 'big six' opposition. It was a difficult afternoon for the veteran after that with Brighton’s best work coming on the counter attack so he didn’t get much of the ball. A more accurate pass at 1-1 could have led to a goal-scoring chance. A slip nearly proved very costly as Liverpool put the ball in the net for a third time after a quick counter attack. Brighton saved by VAR. A couple of shots into the side-netting.

Substitutes:

Facundo Buonanotte – 6: All action display when he came on but needed to show a bit more composure in moments. Poor touch on edge of Liverpool’s box from Dunk’s pass in injury-time.

Adam Lallana – 6: The former Liverpool man received a warm welcome from the home fans. Deft touch nearly found Buonanotte who was charging into the box. Was played in on goal just moments later but shot was wide of the post. #

Evan Ferguson – Limited impact when he came on, could have done with a bit more time. He will be desperate to end his goal drought.