Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has given an honest verdict around the team's struggles in recent times, which culminated in their 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion. He acknowledged that the team's display in their defeat was not up to par, then went ahead to attribute the poor performance to fundamental problems within the team.
Speaking to LiverpoolFC.com (via Liverpool Echo), the right-back expressed his feelings around the team's struggles against Brighton:
"It's not what we wanted as a team and it just wasn’t good enough, if I’m honest, in any area of the pitch – all areas, to be honest. It wasn’t good enough. Credit to Brighton, they're a top team and they played outstandingly well. So, they deserved the three points and we didn’t."
He continued, noting that there were few positives to take from the game:
"I think there were a lot of things wrong fundamentally and we got a lot of things wrong out there. Not many positives, if any, to take from this game, but we go back and look at what went wrong and make sure something like this doesn’t happen again because, like I said, this was completely unacceptable."
Trent Alexander-Arnold concluded:
"I suppose if you try to put a positive spin on things, then it's something we can use as motivation. We don’t want anything like this to happen again and we need to bounce back – that’s something that is a given at this point now. We need to bounce back in the next one."
Liverpool will need to sit up, with the season still in full swing
Brighton dominated Liverpool in the match, with the Reds only managing two shots on target. It was the Reds' worst Premier League loss since February 2021 and the largest victory for Brighton against them in their history.
The defeat resulted in Jurgen Klopp's men falling to ninth place in the Premier League. This is a significant change from the previous season when they were nearly crowned champions, with Manchester City snatching the title on the last day. The Reds have already dropped points in as many games as they did in the entire previous season, which is a cause for concern at Anfield.
Liverpool must quickly rebound from their defeat. They have a busy schedule ahead with an FA Cup replay at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, and a Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday. The team must improve their performance to get back to winning and move up the standings.