Brighton hand Liverpool 10th league defeat of season
Liverpool, meanwhile, slumped to their 10th league defeat of the campaign, their highest tally since 2015-16
Danny Welbeck struck twice as Brighton & Hove Albion deepened Liverpool ’s woes with a 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium.
The 35-year-old opened the scoring early on and, after Milos Kerkez capitalised on a Brighton error to equalise, Welbeck netted again in the second half to seal a fourth win in five for the hosts, who moved up to eighth.
Despite his form – no English player has scored more Premier League goals this season – Welbeck was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad.
Liverpool, meanwhile, slumped to their 10th league defeat of the campaign, their highest tally since 2015-16.
The result leaves them vulnerable to dropping further down the table, with Chelsea able to overtake them.
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes due to a nearby road accident, and a chaotic first half followed.
Hugo Ekitike was forced off injured after an early collision, before Brighton took the lead through Welbeck after a defensive lapse.
Kerkez restored parity by intercepting a poor header from Lewis Dunk and lifting the ball over Bart Verbruggen, but Brighton regained control after the break.
Welbeck struck again from close range after good work from Yankuba Minteh and Jack Hinshelwood.
Liverpool pushed for another equaliser, with Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo going close, but were denied by Brighton’s resilience and Verbruggen in goal.
Arne Slot’s side have now taken just one point from their last three league games. They face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals after the international break, while Brighton travel to Burnley on April 11.
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