Liverpool FC suffered another setback in their Premier League campaign after a brace from Danny Welbeck secured a deserved victory for Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Welbeck struck in either half to hand the hosts all three points, with Milos Kerkez briefly restoring parity for Liverpool with a composed equaliser. However, Brighton’s dominance after the break ultimately proved decisive, as the Seagulls outperformed their visitors in the second half to seal the win.
Speaking after the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot pointed to a combination of injuries, fatigue, and recurring defensive lapses as key factors behind the defeat. “What went wrong started off with the lead-up to this game,” Slot said, highlighting the disruption caused by missing key players. “We had Mo Salah injured and we have Alisson injured. After two minutes Hugo Ekitike [is] out, so that has happened so many times to us this season.”
Slot acknowledged Brighton’s superiority after the interval, conceding that the hosts deserved their victory. “In the first half I think it was an equal game but in the second half Brighton were the better team on the pitch and they deserved to win,” he said.
The Dutch manager confirmed that goalkeeper Alisson Becker will remain sidelined through the international break, while striker Hugo Ekitike’s early exit was due to a knock that may not keep him out for long. “Alisson will definitely be out during the international break and let’s see afterwards. Hugo, I think he could play tomorrow if he needed to. It was a dead leg,” Slot explained.
Liverpool’s attacking struggles were compounded by the absence of key forwards, a situation Slot admitted has repeatedly forced tactical compromises. “You have to continue without one of the best strikers that the league has seen… Alexander Isak… one of the best goalscorers… Mo Salah… and then missing out on Hugo Ekitike,” he said, underlining the scale of the challenge facing his side.
Despite a competitive first-half display, Slot conceded that his team faded as Brighton grew stronger, with the hosts coming closer to extending their lead than Liverpool were to finding an equaliser. He also resisted the temptation to attribute the loss solely to a lack of creativity, instead crediting Brighton’s performance. “They were the better team and created more chances than us… Give credit to them. They were good,” he said, singling out Kaoru Mitoma for his impact off the bench.
The defeat marks Liverpool’s 10th league loss of the season—their highest tally since the 2015–16 campaign—highlighting a challenging campaign despite flashes of strong form. Slot acknowledged the significance of that statistic, noting, “It says how and what great teams Liverpool has had in the last 10 years… But still it’s not good enough.”
Reflecting on the broader picture, the Liverpool boss pointed to a combination of late goals conceded, squad limitations, and injury setbacks as contributing factors to their inconsistent results. “No matter how many excuses I can come up with, it’s still not good enough, the position we’re in right now,” he admitted.
With the international break offering little respite for a squad already stretched by heavy minutes, Slot maintained that his players showed resilience despite fatigue. “They didn’t give up and that’s an important asset to have for the last period of the season,” he said.
