The Media Review: Welbeck's brace beats Liverpool

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The media enjoyed our performance against the Reds.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-03-22T10:00+00:00

Danny Welbeck celebrates his second goal of the afternoon, having thought that his finish was offside. 📸 by Simon Roe.

If the reporters at the Liverpool match had their way, Danny Welbeck would be celebrating an England call-up along with Albion goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Virtually every writer took the striker’s brace against the reigning champions as a point or two made to Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel.

In The Mail on Sunday, Lewis Steele picked up on a favourite Amex chant, “‘Hey, Danny Welbeck,’ sang the Brighton fans. ‘I wanna know how you scored that goal.’ Not once but twice, the veteran forward scored to help Fabian Hurzeler’s side to their most notable victory in many months and condemn faltering Liverpool and under-fire Arne Slot to another forgettable afternoon.

“A better song might have been, ‘Hey, Danny Welbeck… I wanna know why you’re not in the England squad.’ Had this performance came a day or two earlier, it might have been enough to nudge him ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the Three Lions squad. These goals were Welbeck’s 11th and 12th of the term, his best-ever season.

“Just like his 40-year-old colleague James Milner, the striker is ageing like a fine wine and he did what his team-mates could not: put his chances away. Time and time again, Albion carved Liverpool apart and the scoreline ultimately flattered their visitors.

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A brace from Danny Welbeck was enough to see Albion take all three points against Liverpool in the early kick-off at the Amex Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

“Here, the English champions were not just beaten but thoroughly out-played, out-run and out-fought. Welbeck scored either side of Milos Kerkez’s equaliser to momentarily take Brighton up to eighth. One win in 13 from December to February may ultimately cost them a European push but, playing like this with four wins in five, the sky is the limit for Hurzeler’s soaring Seagulls.”

In The Sun on Sunday, Jack Rosser wrote that “Hell hath no fury like a striker scorned. A day after being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s mega England squad, Danny Welbeck turned his anger on Liverpool with a double to dent their Champions League pursuit.

“Inside 15 minutes, the Reds allowed Ferdi Kadioglu the space to lift a cross to the far post where Diego Gomez nodded back across goal, Welbeck rose above Ibrahima Konate with alarming ease and turned it in.

“Minteh was a constant runaway threat down the left, constantly escaping the clutches of Frimpong. Frimpong was not even on the scene when Minteh helped to craft Welbeck’s second. He whipped a wicked cross deep to the far post, where Jack Hinshelwood had slipped behind the Liverpool defence to square for Welbeck to tap in.

😆 pic.twitter.com/iwgSNyhE4i
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) March 21, 2026

“Kaoru Mitoma was swapped in for Minteh and took up the tormenting, ghosting past Jones and Szboszlai to tee up Hinshelwood who should have made it three before Yasin Ayari saw his volley blocked on the line by Jones.”

Sam Cunningham wrote on The Guardian website that “Danny Welbeck has not given up on making England’s World Cup squad and showed exactly what Thomas Tuchel is missing with two goals to dent Liverpool’s Champions League hopes.

“Could he really warrant a place in the England squad this summer? It seems a stretch, but with players extending their elite years longer than ever, there is at least some logic in taking an experienced forward – one with 16 goals in 42 England games – to the US as Harry Kane’s understudy.

“After he was left out by Tuchel on Friday, Brighton’s head coach Fabian Hürzeler told Welbeck to ‘control the controllables’ and he duly responded.”

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Matt Law joined the chorus in The Sunday Telegraph. “Welbeck’s double took him to 12 league goals for the season, which means he finished the game as the Premier League’s highest scoring Englishman,” he wrote.

“It is a puzzle that Welbeck was not included in Thomas Tuchel’s enlarged 35-man England squad. When he cupped an ear in celebration towards the Liverpool fans after scoring his first, it could also have been a message to the England head coach.

“Liverpool were gifted a way back into the game after Brighton had taken the lead in the first half, when a Lewis Dunk misjudged a header that allowed Milos Kerkez to score. But the visitors could not build on that and the second half was almost all Brighton, who should really have won by a greater advantage.

“Slot will now have much to ponder over the international break, with Liverpool needing to return refreshed and ready for the run in. Welbeck will probably spend the international break wondering how he is not part of Tuchel’s World Cup trial.”

In The Observer, Paul Hayward wrote that “Brighton deserve better than for the focus to be on Arne Slot’s team when they are on such a good run – and when two more Danny Welbeck goals made Dominic Solanke’s selection ahead of him in Thomas Tuchel’s extended England squad seem even more unjust.”

Ditto Daniel Orme on The Mirror website. “Danny Welbeck might have felt himself unfortunate to have missed out on a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man England squad. And he underlined the point that he should have been included with two goals against Liverpool.

“A deep ball into the box was headed across goal by Diego Gomez. Welbeck outjumped Konate and nodded beyond the reach of Mamardashvili for the first.

“He then found himself in acres of space to tap home from another centre in the second half, albeit he was made to wait by a tight offside call. His brace saw Welbeck move ahead as the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League this season.”

Jack Hinshelwood teed up Albion's second goal. 📸 by James Boardman.

And Aadam Patel on the BBC Sport website: “After a first half where both sides repeatedly lost the ball carelessly, Brighton deserve credit for exploiting Liverpool's tired legs after the interval.

“Fabian Hurzeler waited until the 76th minute to turn to his bench and his side regularly carved Liverpool open after the break. They were deserved winners, with this win ensuring they are well and truly in contention for European football.

“As for Welbeck, what a season he is having.”

The only writer who avoided any talk of England claims was Hamzah Khalique-Loonat of The Sunday Times, who concentrated on the tactical aspects of the match instead, “Brighton had no problem cutting through Liverpool’s man-to-man set-up, using quick switches around the back to find a spare man and progress the ball forward.

"After a competitive first half, Brighton let rip in the second and should have had more than Danny Welbeck’s two goals to show for it … using Yankuba Minteh to great effect. Welbeck had his second after 56 minutes and from this point, Brighton reigned supreme.”