Liverpool host Brighton this weekend in an Easter Sunday showdown, but they will be hoping for a much sweeter outcome than in their past few affairs.
Liverpool have failed to a record a win against Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side in four meetings now, three of these being in the Premier League and the other being in the FA Cup.
Two of these encounters in the top flight have ended in a stalemate and one came earlier this season, finishing 2-2 at the Amex.
This comeback point stemmed from Brighton’s captain Lewis Dunk, who scored late on in the fixture; something Brighton have profited from in these past four contests.
Comebacks were completed in the last ten minutes on another two of these last four occasions, one being in a 3-3 draw at Anfield in 2022 and the other being a last-gasp win in the FA Cup in 2023.
This showing that Liverpool certainly have frailties when it comes to defending leads against the Seagulls.
So, what can Liverpool do to limit Brighton’s threat late on?
When it comes to scoring late on in games, both Brighton and Liverpool are two of the very best in the league and have been this season.
De Zerbi’s side have netted 10 times past the 85th minute so far this campaign and have scored more goals in the second half of matches than they have in the first.
This constant ignition late on in games is a testament to De Zerbi’s use of squad rotation and substitutions.
The 44-year-old is making use of extra substitutions more than any other manager in the league, using 133 out of the 140 subs available to him.
In opposition to this, Klopp has only used 122 of the 140 substitutions available, meaning that he is not making the most of the extra legs.
Klopp’s heavy metal style of play could be another reason why there have been struggles to seal victories against Brighton recently.
De Zerbi’s side thrive when they invite pressure in, as it allows them to manipulate the defensive line of their opposition.
This in turn creates gaps that the attackers can then exploit and feed the ball into, giving them success on counter-attacking opportunities.
However, this isn’t to say that when Liverpool do apply pressure they aren’t succeeding, as they are one of the very best attacking sides in the world.
Their triple threat of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Mohammed Salah has been one of the best in the league this season, scoring 34 goals between them.
However, Jota is set to miss this weekend’s matchup as he is still out with a knee injury.
This meaning Luis Diaz will be called upon yet again to fill the void of the Portuguese star.
Despite this loss, Brighton will still have a huge task in defending Diaz, Salah and Nunez.
How can Klopp’s electrifying trio exploit Brighton?
The Diaz – Nunez – Salah trio was started in the reverse fixture back in October and throughout the game they caused many issues.
With a combination of terrifying pace, tricky feet and deadeye finishing, the three can hurt any opposition, especially on the counter.
This was something the Seagulls failed to monitor last time out, with Salah walking away from the game with a brace.
The Egyptian’s brace came from two mistakes in playing out from the back, which is something Klopp demands his players pounce on.
A burden to Brighton’s success in this campaign so far is the amount of errors made that have led to goals.
They currently sit joint first in the rankings – with Sheffield United – having recorded eight errors leading to goals.
Klopp’s ‘gegenpress’ tactic is a perfect block to De Zerbi’s possession-based football and Liverpool play perfectly on Sunday, the Italian boss could see his defence crumble.
