Brighton & Hove Albion delivered a stunning late comeback to beat Liverpool 3-2 on Monday night, with Jack Hinshelwood netting the winner just moments after coming off the bench.
Despite taking the lead twice at the Amex Stadium, Liverpool were undone by a spirited Brighton side that punished the newly crowned Premier League champions for a lacklustre performance.
Harvey Elliott opened the scoring in the ninth minute after a brilliant run and cutback by Conor Bradley, helping Liverpool score in every away game of a league season for the first time in their history. Brighton hit back through Yasin Ayari, who fired past Alisson after eluding Bradley to level the match in the 32nd minute.
Liverpool regained the lead before half-time when Dominik Szoboszlai’s swerving effort from the right flank flew past Bart Verbruggen, though it looked more like a miscued cross than a shot.
But the Reds failed to maintain control after the break. Kaoru Mitoma slammed home the equaliser in the 69th minute after Danny Welbeck’s strike was parried by Alisson. Then, in the 85th minute, Hinshelwood sealed the dramatic win by calmly converting Matt O’Riley’s cross with his first touch of the game.
Liverpool, who had received a guard of honour before kick-off, have now taken just one point from three games since clinching the title in April. Arne Slot’s men were visibly off the pace after a celebratory trip to Dubai and the manager’s own stint in Ibiza, with their focus clearly shifting to the season’s end.
Salah, captaining Liverpool on his 300th Premier League appearance, missed a golden chance to kill the game off, flicking wide from close range with the score at 2-1. It proved costly as Brighton mounted their comeback.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to their final league game at home against Crystal Palace, where they will lift the Premier League trophy before holding a celebratory open-top bus parade through the city.
