Liverpool 2-2 Brighton and Hove Albion: Reds player ratings from an entertaining draw at Anfield | Premier League 2021-22
Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday. Goals from Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane were canceled out by Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard in an engaging end-to-end affair.
FULL-TIME Liverpool 2-2 Brighton
A thrilling four-goal draw ends with goals from Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane for the Reds, and Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard for the Seagulls
#LIVBHA https://t.co/shrzuu1KnU
The Reds started the match in their usual imperious fashion, racing into a 2-0 lead inside 24 minutes through strikes from Henderson and Mane. Mane also had a goal disallowed for handball when he pressed Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez to put the ball in the net.
However, Brighton refused to fade away and kept creating presentable chances of their own despite Liverpool’s dominance. The visitors’ efforts paid off just before half-time as they pulled a goal back through Mwepu’s fortuitous long-range effort.
Brighton began the second half with great intent, beating Liverpool at their own high-pressing game. Their aggressive approach was rewarded as Trossard bagged a well-deserved equalizer in the 65th minute. Having seen a third goal disallowed for offside, Brighton can perhaps count themselves unlucky to come away with just a single point.
Ultimately, a draw was probably a fair result as neither team deserved to end up on the losing side. With the draw, Brighton remain sixth in the table while second-placed Liverpool lose ground on league-leaders Chelsea.
On that note, here are the
Liverpool player ratings from the game:
Alisson: 5/10
The Brazilian was kept busy by Brighton’s enterprising attackers and ended up making four saves in all. In fact, were it not for Alisson’s crucial interventions, the result could have been much worse for the Reds.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 5/10
Although Alexander-Arnold got forward with regularity throughout the game, he was unable to make a real impact on proceedings.
Virgil Van Dijk: 6/10
The Dutchman sailed through the game with his characteristic unflappable calmness, thwarting many a Brighton attack with ease.
Not only did he make eight recoveries and three interceptions, van Dijk also completed the most passes (78) of anyone on the pitch.
Ibrahima Konate: 5/10
Konate was solid yet unspectacular in defense as he slowly establishes himself in the Liverpool backline alongside van Dijk.
Andy Robertson: 5/10
Like Alexander-Arnold on the opposite flank, Robertson was a tireless runner up and down the length of the pitch without making a real impact.
Naby Keita: N.A.
Keita’s outing was cut short by injury for the second time in two games as the midfielder was forced off after just 20 minutes.
Jordan Henderson: 6/10
In addition to his customarily solid midfield display, the Liverpool skipper got on the scoresheet with a spectacular curling effort.
Curtis Jones: 5/10
The youngster turned in an energetic display in the Liverpool midfield, driving the Reds forward with purpose when he got on the ball.
Mohamed Salah: 6/10
Although his impressive scoring run came to an end, Salah did chip in with an assist in his energetic performance.
Only two teams have stopped Mohamed Salah from scoring this season:
◉ Burnley
◉ Brighton
His 10-game streak across all competitions comes to an end. https://t.co/kOTAu9okOD
However, the Egyptian was unable to escape the close attention of Marc Cucurella, who kept him under wraps for most of the game.
Roberto Firmino: 5/10
Despite regularly dropping deep to get on the ball more often, Firmino was kept in check quite effectively by the Brighton defense. As such, he was taken off in the final few minutes of the game.
Sadio Mane: 7/10
Mane looked lively on the left wing and scored Liverpool’s second with a courageous diving header. He also had a goal disallowed for handball. However, like his fellow attackers, he was rendered ineffective in the second half due to Brighton’s counter-attacking approach.
Only three players have scored 50+ home goals in the Premier League since Sadio Mané made his Anfield debut:
◎ Mohamed Salah (59)
◎ Harry Kane (58)
◉ Sadio Mané (53)
On the scoresheet again this afternoon. https://t.co/JOnRHwyraq
Substitutes:
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6/10
Despite coming on in less-than-ideal circumstances, Oxlade-Chamberlain made the most of his time on the pitch by setting up Mane’s goal. He came on to replace the injured Keita and had a sudden impact. The Englishman was full of running, contributing in attack as well as in defense during his time on the pitch.
Diogo Jota: N.A.
Jota replaced Firmino for the final 10 minutes but did not feature prominently during his time on the pitch.
Takumi Minamino: N.A.
Minamino was brought on in the final few minutes but barely got a touch of the ball.