Liverpool 2 Brighton 1 (Mar 31 2024)

[tlw content]

 

There are some games where beforehand I’d happily snatch your hand off for a one goal margin of victory. Not many, as usually I’d roll the dice on us getting more than that, but sometimes I think in the build up to a game that I’ll happily take any kind of win. This was one of those games.

 

Klopp had not beaten De Zerbi in the previous four attempts. I’m not sure exactly why, but Brighton have always given Klopp trouble and especially so since De Zerbi arrived there. Maybe Klopp could have given Dyche a call and asked him for the secret to beating the little gel headed Italian.

 

So going into this, with the stakes as high as they are, any win was fine by me. I didn’t think for a second it was going to be easy and I was expecting 3-1 or 3-2 with a lot of nervy moments and for the game to be in the balance until late on. I was close enough. It wasn’t comfortable at any point.

 

Of course we conceded more or less straight away. What was it, 80 seconds or something? Feels like this happens every other week. I know it doesn’t, but it feels like it. It’s tiresome isn’t it? Having to come from a goal down all the time, it’s great when you do can do it but fucking hell, it’s not good for the blood pressure.

 

It was avoidable from our perspective but it’s a brilliant finish by Danny Welcrap. It starts with an inaccurate pass by Mo. As soon as he shaped to play that pass I thought it was a bad idea, but I’ve seen the replay now and I’ve changed my mind. I thought it was a bad decision at the time but it’s not. Sure, it’s not the safest pass he could have made and there was risk to it, but it wasn't reckless and it defo shouldn’t be leading to a goal.

 

Bradley was miles up the field and I think he may have even been the intended recipient of Mo’s pass. So Brighton broke up that side with Odingra and although we got enough players back to deal with it, we got pretty unlucky as Dom got a foot in to take it away from Welbeck, but Virgil then had to stretch to cut it out and the loose ball fell nicely to Welbeck who leathered it home. 

 

I don’t think we could do a great deal to stop it other than to not give the ball away in the first place. It’s just one of those things really, but it’s annoying as fuck to keep falling behind in games.

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[piphomer]

No arguably about it. 

[Dapower]

Brighton always been our bogey team they had some decent results in the early 80s against us but I did fancy us to come back from 1-0 down 

[DaveT]

Watching this game back, with the benefit of replays etc, confirmed that the performance of the officials was, if anything, worse than it seemed in the stadium at the time. It was the best example of applying different rules to each team - or at least different thresholds for the challenges. If it was even handed we’d have had 2 penalties. The faint arm by Mac on the shoulder was nowhere near as much of a foul as the tug on Darwin moments earlier. Likewise, Mo going down over Dunk’s legs in front of the Kop was more of a foul than the similar challenge by Mac seconds later on Baleba(?) in midfield. Neither were fouls but it’s the lack of consistency and even-handedness. And how come linos can spot a big toe being offside (Diaz here, Mo at OT), yet that cunt on Sunday didn’t spot that Dunk was well offside for that header which Kelleher pushed away for a corner… which could have led to a goal, which then would have counted. 
An extension of the death from a thousand cuts which certain refs deploy against us was on display here….. giving us a non-existent advantage when we clearly would get more benefit from a free kick. Taylor does this…. against Newcastle, when he should have given us a free kick and given Joelinton a second yellow. Instead he gave us ‘advantage’ when we had 2 attackers versus their five defenders and the momentum had gone. 
Quansah and Bradley brilliant again. I’ve said before, the difference between Bradley and Trent is that the former clearly enjoys the defensive work, relishes it, whereas it looks like a chore for Trent, a necessary evil but he’d rather spend his time pinging passes. 
Mac Allister - complete performance, excelling in every aspect of the midfield role. 

[Barnesey]

VAR can’t intervene on corners but (surely) would have ruled out dunk’s header if it had gone in

[sir roger]

5 minutes ago, Barnesey said:

VAR can’t intervene on corners but (surely) would have ruled out dunk’s header if it had gone in

 

True, but the point is why the flag didn’t go up once Dunk’s header from a clearly offside position gave them an advantage?

[dave u]

31 minutes ago, Barnesey said:

VAR can’t intervene on corners but (surely) would have ruled out dunk’s header if it had gone in

 

The linesman defo should have spotted that, because they're really good and don't get much wrong. When I watched the highlights I called offside on the first view, as it was obvious and isn't one of those tricky ones in open play when one player is running towards goal and the last man is either stood still or moving the opposite way. This was a bread and butter decision for any decent lino and he should have flagged as soon as Kelleher made the save. 

 

As for our two penalty appeals, there's no way we were ever getting them. They were fairly soft, but softer ones were given this weekend. Coote was never going to give either of them though and with Tierney on VAR there was even less chance of them being given.

 

I don't really have much of a grievance with either. The Mo one in normal speed did not look like a penalty at all from where I was sat, but after seeing the replay I think it's 50-50. Mo doesn't get those though.

[Rushies tash]

17 minutes ago, dave u said:

 

The linesman defo should have spotted that, because they're really good and don't get much wrong. When I watched the highlights I called offside on the first view, as it was obvious and isn't one of those tricky ones in open play when one player is running towards goal and the last man is either stood still or moving the opposite way. This was a bread and butter decision for any decent lino and he should have flagged as soon as Kelleher made the save. 

 

As for our two penalty appeals, there's no way we were ever getting them. They were fairly soft, but softer ones were given this weekend. Coote was never going to give either of them though and with Tierney on VAR there was even less chance of them being given.

 

I don't really have much of a grievance with either. The Mo one in normal speed did not look like a penalty at all from where I was sat, but after seeing the replay I think it's 50-50. Mo doesn't get those though.

 

There was an incident late in the second half when Mo was surrounded by three Brighton players and looked to be dragged to the floor, but Coote just waved play on. There must have been something in it as Mo was furious. As you say, Mo doesn't get those - or any decisions seemingly.

[Jimmy Hills Chin]

34 minutes ago, Rushies tash said:

 

There was an incident late in the second half when Mo was surrounded by three Brighton players and looked to be dragged to the floor, but Coote just waved play on. There must have been something in it as Mo was furious. As you say, Mo doesn't get those - or any decisions seemingly.

Can't even remember if a replay was shown for that.

[dave u]

40 minutes ago, Rushies tash said:

 

There was an incident late in the second half when Mo was surrounded by three Brighton players and looked to be dragged to the floor, but Coote just waved play on. There must have been something in it as Mo was furious. As you say, Mo doesn't get those - or any decisions seemingly.

 

That one I thought he held onto the ball too long and then went down easily because he knew he'd lost it. He was fuming though, so maybe he was pulled down.

[KevieG]

Definitely something fishy about those two first half yellows. The sooner the refs audio is switched on during stoppages in play the better.

[DaveT]

5 hours ago, dave u said:

 

The linesman defo should have spotted that, because they're really good and don't get much wrong. When I watched the highlights I called offside on the first view, as it was obvious and isn't one of those tricky ones in open play when one player is running towards goal and the last man is either stood still or moving the opposite way. This was a bread and butter decision for any decent lino and he should have flagged as soon as Kelleher made the save. 

 

As for our two penalty appeals, there's no way we were ever getting them. They were fairly soft, but softer ones were given this weekend. Coote was never going to give either of them though and with Tierney on VAR there was even less chance of them being given.

 

I don't really have much of a grievance with either. The Mo one in normal speed did not look like a penalty at all from where I was sat, but after seeing the replay I think it's 50-50. Mo doesn't get those though.

The Darwin one is a clear foul, the guy clear pulls him with both arms. But, well, Tierney. The Mo one, he kind of runs into Dunk’s legs. Not a penalty for me, but I’ve seen Taylor give a near identical one against us. And guess who is ref, inevitably, on Sunday?… 

 

[StevieMax]

7 hours ago, DaveT said:

Watching this game back, with the benefit of replays etc, confirmed that the performance of the officials was, if anything, worse than it seemed in the stadium at the time. It was the best example of applying different rules to each team - or at least different thresholds for the challenges. If it was even handed we’d have had 2 penalties. The faint arm by Mac on the shoulder was nowhere near as much of a foul as the tug on Darwin moments earlier. Likewise, Mo going down over Dunk’s legs in front of the Kop was more of a foul than the similar challenge by Mac seconds later on Baleba(?) in midfield. Neither were fouls but it’s the lack of consistency and even-handedness. And how come linos can spot a big toe being offside (Diaz here, Mo at OT), yet that cunt on Sunday didn’t spot that Dunk was well offside for that header which Kelleher pushed away for a corner… which could have led to a goal, which then would have counted. 
An extension of the death from a thousand cuts which certain refs deploy against us was on display here….. giving us a non-existent advantage when we clearly would get more benefit from a free kick. Taylor does this…. against Newcastle, when he should have given us a free kick and given Joelinton a second yellow. Instead he gave us ‘advantage’ when we had 2 attackers versus their five defenders and the momentum had gone. 
Quansah and Bradley brilliant again. I’ve said before, the difference between Bradley and Trent is that the former clearly enjoys the defensive work, relishes it, whereas it looks like a chore for Trent, a necessary evil but he’d rather spend his time pinging passes. 
Mac Allister - complete performance, excelling in every aspect of the midfield role. 

The point about "different thresholds" for challenges appears to be reflected in the foul count = 20 by Liverpool and only 6 by Brighton.

[Razoray]

On 02/04/2024 at 14:13, DaveT said:

The Darwin one is a clear foul, the guy clear pulls him with both arms. But, well, Tierney. The Mo one, he kind of runs into Dunk’s legs. Not a penalty for me, but I’ve seen Taylor give a near identical one against us. And guess who is ref, inevitably, on Sunday?… 

 

On the Mo one, if a forward pushes the ball past a defender, continues his run and then "runs into Dunk's (the defender's) legs, it's a foul.