Liverpool ended a tough run of Premier League fixtures with a hard-earned draw at Brighton on Sunday.
Mohamed Salah’s quickfire double wiped out Simon Adingra’s opener before Lews Dunk levelled the scores as the Reds were held to a 2-2 stalemate.
The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men go into the season’s second international break in fourth place, just two points behind joint leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at the AMEX Stadium.
Klopp felt the need to tell Brighton counterpart Roberto De Zerbi to calm down during an at times fractious second half. But that didn’t stop the Liverpool boss from his own outburst on the touchline.
And it was Trent Alexander-Arnold, unfortunate enough to be the player nearest the dugout, who felt the full force of the ire from his manager after one attempted throughball for Salah floated off target.
Klopp didn’t let up, with Alexander-Arnold the target for further, er, advice before, shortly afterwards, being replaced. Presumably to rest his poor ears.
It was a mixed bag for Alexis Mac Allister on a first return to Brighton following his summer move to Liverpool, with an unwitting assist for the home side’s opener and then a part in the Reds’ equaliser.
But there was no doubting the affection with which Seagulls fans regard their former favourite.
And Brighton boss De Zerbi made a point after the final whistle of giving the Argentine a big embrace and then urging the home crowd to show their appreciation. They responded accordingly.
There was plenty of haste in the Liverpool dressing room after the game with most of the players immediately jetting off around the world to join up with their respective national teams for the international break.
And one player who rushing around more than most was Andy Robertson, who was among those selected for a post-match drugs test.
After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing and, presumably, a whole load of drinks, Robertson was able to do what was required before sprinting off as one of the last Reds remaining on the South Coast.
It was the ultimate example of crying it in. And it worked for the local press as Solly March stepped up to take a free-kick during the final quarter of the match.
“Not sure why people are getting excited, Brighton never score from set-pieces,” said the seasoned hack, to a certain despair from the travelling ECHO scribes.
Sure enough, a few seconds later the ball was in the back of the Liverpool net. Next time we’ll be asking if he thinks we ever have any chance of winning the lottery…
