Brighton progress in FA Cup as they overpower Liverpool

Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion faced each other at the American Express Community Stadium for a ticket to the next round of the world's oldest domestic cup competition. Kaoru Mitoma's brilliant control and finish in stoppage time earned the Seagulls a place in the fifth round. Liverpool had led at the Amex through Harvey Elliott, but have now won just once in their last six games.

The match had a very lively start and both teams pressed during the first 45 minutes. In fact, they shared possession and both clubs created several chances. The first half was very tight but performances from Kaoru Mitoma, who went all out to score the opener of the match, and Mo Salah stood out.

Harvey Elliott got the first, scoring in the 30th minute when Salah crossed from the left flank, Elliott receiving the pass and scoring from close range. However, Lewis Dunk and Tariq Lamptey linked up together to find the equaliser in the 39th minute. Later, Elliott received a blow to the head and the game was paused for doctors to check that he had not suffered concussion.

 

January 29, 2023

The hosts were without Moises Caicedo after the Ecuadorian took to social media on Friday to try and force through a move to Arsenal. Brighton have already lost Leandro Trossard, who scored a hat-trick against Liverpool earlier in the season, to the Gunners this month.

Last season Jurgen Klopp's men were on the brink of a historic quadruple, which included their first FA Cup triumph in 16 years. But Klopp is still searching for answers to halt their decline after a second defeat on the south coast in 15 days. The German described Brighton's 3-0 win when the sides last met as the worst performance of his managerial career.

The second half of the clash was also very difficult as both teams wanted to break the deadlock and Brighton created many more chances in the first few minutes and were much more aggressive in their actions. Klopp's side pressed much more than in the first half. Moreover, the German manager decided to replace Elliott with Darwin Nunez to boost the chances.

Dunk's behaviour worsened in the closing stages and he even received a yellow card after grabbing Cody Gakpo by the shirt to prevent a shot. Fabinho came on to replace Bajcetic on the pitch and made a very hard tackle on Ferguson, who had to be substituted because he could not continue playing.

Mitoma scored the winning goal from inside the box to make it two for Brighton after some good performances throughout the match. De Zerbi's side progress to the next round of the FA Cup at a time when the two sides were expected to face each other again.

 

January 29, 2023