Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Liverpool: Liverpool player ratings as clinical Seagulls sweep past sub-par Reds | Premier League 2022-23

A brace from Solly March and Danny Welbeck’s skilful effort saw Brighton & Hove Albion secure a well-deserved 3-0 home win over Liverpool on Saturday (January 14) evening.

The first half was dominated by the hosts, who were on the front foot throughout and created the best chances. Liverpool were far too passive, barely troubling the Brighton defense and having to defend themselves doggedly to maintain their clean sheet.

The Seagulls made their dominance count soon after the restart, however, with March putting his side ahead in the 46th minute. Seven minutes later, he was on the scoresheet again to put Brighton two to the good and in total control of the match.

Brighton’s two-goal burst prompted a quadruple change from Liverpool, but their attempts to claw their way back into the game were feeble at best. In fact, it was Roberto De Zerbi’s men who added to their tally as Welbeck scored in the 81st minute to put the game to bed.

This impressive win sees Brighton & Hove Albion leapfrog the Merseyside outfit into seventh in the Premier League table, with Liverpool two points behind in eighth.

On that note, here are the Liverpool player ratings from the match.

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Alisson: 5/10

Brighton looked capable of scoring many more than three goals, but for Alisson in the Liverpool goal. He made five saves and was quick off his line at times to deny the Seagulls.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 4/10

Alexander-Arnold looked dangerous going forward but left far too much space behind him, which Kaoru Mitoma made excellent use of. The Englishman was given a torrid time by the Japanese winger throughout. He also picked up a booking in the 65th minute.

Joel Matip: 3/10

Matip looked off the pace throughout the game and was replaced halfway through the second half

Matip was booked early in the first half and then gave the ball away in the build-up to the opener. The veteran defender was taken off in the 69th minute.

Ibrahima Konate: 5/10

The Frenchman was Liverpool’s best defender, using his pace and physicality to good effect. He won the most duels (8) in the game, with six clearances and eight recoveries to boot.

Andrew Robertson: 4/10

While Alexander-Arnold struggled with Mitoma’s pace on the opposite flank, Robertson could not keep up with March’s intelligent darting runs inside. He was duly punished as March ended up scoring a brace and setting up the third.

Jordan Henderson: 4/10

Henderson and his midfield colleagues were bypassed with far too much ease by the opposition. He was booked on the half-hour mark and was replaced in the 69th minute.

Fabinho: 5/10

Fabinho was tidy in possession but could not make an impact when Brighton had the ball. The Brazilian was replaced in the 69th minute.

Thiago: 5/10

While Thiago looked elegant on the ball, he could not keep up with the Brighton players while defending. As such, the Spaniard could not make his mark on proceedings.

Mohamed Salah: 4/10

Salah was well-shackled by the Brighton defense and was unable to test Robert Sanchez in the Brighton goal at all.

Cody Gakpo: 4/10

It was a Premier League debut to forget for Gakpo, who was starved of service and struggled to get involved in proceedings. The Dutchman ended the game with just 26 touches, the least of anyone to play 90 minutes.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 5/10

Playing on the left wing, Oxlade-Chamberlain could not impact the game at all in an attacking sense. He was replaced in the 68th minute.

Substitutes:

Ben Doak: 5/10

The youngster hardly got on the ball and was largely anonymous after coming on for the final 20 minutes or so.

Joe Gomez: 4/10

On for the final 20 minutes, Gomez left Welbeck with far too much space and time for Brighton’s third goal.

Naby Keita: 5/10

Keita did his best to get Liverpool back on the front foot but could not penetrate the resolute Brighton defense.

Harvey Elliott: 5/10

Elliott looked bright in the 20-odd minutes he spent on the pitch but could not get his side back into the game.