Leandro Trossard scored a sensational hattrick to help Brighton produce one of the close football results of the weekend in the Premier League. The manager lamented yet another “rubbish start” as they fell further behind leaders Arsenal in the fight for the title, making their hopes of bringing the Premier League championship back to Anfield for the second time under Jurgen Klopp seem like a pipe dream. In eighth place, the Gunners are now 11 points ahead of Liverpool, while high-flying Brighton keeps up its impressive performance outside of the top four.
“Star” striker Trossard gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes with two goals of his own. With two goals of his own either side of halftime, Roberto Firmino, though, gave the Reds a chance to get back into the game. When Trent Alexander-Arnold, the game’s centre of attention, launched a tease corner that caused havoc inside the Brighton box and unintentionally touched Adam Webster before softly crossing the goal line, Liverpool completed the comeback just beyond the hour mark.
The Roberto De Zerbi era at Brighton got off to an intriguing start as the Seagulls were far from done and received the reward for their valiant effort when replacement Kaoru Mitoma’s cross found its way to the far post, where Trossard was waiting to score in the 83rd minute.
Managers Reaction
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “Not what we intended, but a fair result. There are plenty different tales to tell when down 2-0. With a challenging beginning, of course, the story of coming back and winning 3-2 is lovely.”
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi: “Trossard is well-known. I told him to score more goals while he was on the national team in a previous correspondence. He can succeed even more, in my opinion. I don’t say this because I don’t like his performance today—I think he’s a terrific player.”
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