MIRROR
Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup with a dramatic late 2-1 defeat at Brighton courtesy of Kauro Mitoma’s late winner.
Both sides had chances in the opening stages as Mohamed Salah came mightily close for the Reds before Irish hotshot Evan Ferguson saw his effort cleared off the line. But it would be Liverpool who took the lead midway through the first half through Harvey Elliott’s well-taken strike.
The Seagulls showed great character to grow back into the game and responded with a leveller, albeit in rather fortunate circumstances as Tariq Lamptey’s shot was deflected home by Lewis Dunk. Roberto de Zerbi’s side then should’ve taken the lead in the 70th minute but Solly March’s shot was well saved by Alisson as both teams tried to win it.
And it was Brighton who found the all-important winner as Mitoma snuck in at the back post before firing past Alisson to spark delirious scenes. Here are five talking points from the south coast.
Liverpool crash out
With the game finely in the balance thanks to goals from Elliott and Dunk, the game was heading for a replay neither side would’ve wanted for kick-off. That was up until Mitoma struck to shock the Reds with a neat finish as he brought the ball down from Pervis Estupinan’s cut-back, before coolly slotting into the roof of the net past Alisson.
It was a moment that sparked jubilant scenes inside the stadium as Brighton secured their second win over the Reds in a fortnight. De Zerbi’s team beat Liverpool 3-0 on January 14 and produced a similar result, albeit in rather different circumstances.
For Liverpool, they can now concentrate on the Premier League and Champions League but Klopp will be disappointed he couldn’t at least put up more of a fight of defending their trophy. Although Liverpool may have not wanted a replay, there is no doubt Klopp would’ve taken one rather than losing in the fourth round to Brighton.
Elliott in fine form
After scoring the winner in Liverpool’s third-round replay at Wolves, Elliott continued his fine FA Cup form with another strike, this time against Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The 19-year-old had a couple of opportunities to score before he eventually struck in the 30th minute.
A flowing Liverpool attack was finished off by Elliott, as he slotted the ball low into the bottom corner after being played through by Mohamed Salah. It was a finish of a man in confidence and Elliott is starting to get back to his best, having played in every game for the Reds this term.
He is the only player in the Liverpool squad to do so and Elliott is also becoming a key cog in Klopp’s wheel heading into the second half of the campaign.
Dunk a rare goalscorer
A threat from set pieces, you can usually depend on Dunk chipping in with a couple of goals a season. But it is safe to say not many would’ve predicted the centre-back to score in the fashion he did, having neatly flicked Lamptey’s shot goalbound just before half-time.
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