Hurzeler’s masterclass guides Brighton past Liverpool

Brighton and Hove Albion delivered a remarkable performance against English Premier League champions Liverpool, coming from behind twice to claim a 3-2 win at the Amex Stadium.

The victory is their first triumph over Liverpool in five meetings and significantly bolsters their European football aspirations.

Liverpool opened the scoring after nine minutes when Harvey Elliott converted Conor Bradley’s cutback following an excellent build-up play involving Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Brighton equalised through Yasin Ayari who finished coolly past Alisson Becker after controlling Brajan Gruda’s pass, but Szoboszlai restored the visitors’ advantage on the stroke of half-time with a shot that flew over Bart Verbruggen.

The home side continued to apply pressure after the interval, with Danny Welbeck seeing multiple attempts saved before substitute Kaoru Mitoma found the net from a rebound with 20 minutes remaining.

Fellow substitute Jack Hinshelwood completed the comeback moments after entering the field, turning home Matt O’Riley’s cross to send the Amex Stadium into raptures.

Fabian Hurzeler’s tactical changes proved decisive as Brighton moved three points clear of Brentford into eighth position with just one fixture remaining in the season.

This position could potentially reward the Seagulls with European football next season, capping an impressive campaign under their management.

Liverpool, despite having already clinched the league title, suffered consecutive away league defeats for the first time since April 2023.

However, they did maintain their record of scoring in every away match this season, a feat never before accomplished by the club in top-flight competition.