Liverpool’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title suffered a massive blow following a shock 1-0 loss to Brighton at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s champions once again struggled to find a way past a well-drilled visiting defence and suffered back-to-back home league defeats for the first time since 2012 when Steven Alzate diverted in the winner for the Seagulls on 56 minutes.
Liverpool went close through Mohamed Salah early on but could not create much to trouble Robert Sanchez and ultimately failed to score in three consecutive home league games for the first time since October 1984.
The result means Liverpool fall to fourth place, seven points adrift of leaders Manchester City having played a game more. Brighton rise to 15th spot and are now 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Liverpool will need to recover quickly for Sunday’s crunch clash with Manchester City at Anfield, which is surely now a must-win encounter. Brighton visit fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday.
