The Media Review: Albion narrowly beaten at Anfield

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The media reflects on our 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.

Nick Szczepanik

2024-11-03T12:30+00:00

Ferdi Kadioglu gave Albion a first half lead at Anfield. 📷 by James Boardman.

There was universal praise for Albion’s football in the reports of the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool - before the regulars in the Anfield press box got on with the serious business of hailing the Reds’ comeback and their ascent to the top of the Premier League table.

In The Sunday Times, Paul Joyce wrote that “after 68 minutes Tony Bloom, the Brighton owner, was probably enjoying the Saturday of his dreams. Lake Forest, the horse he partly owns, won the £2.8m first prize in the Golden Eagle race in Sydney. Here, his club had shown all their style and ambition to lead through Ferdi Kadioglu’s early strike.

“Liverpool were undressed. Jan Paul van Hecke started a move which flowed through Yasin Ayari and Kadioglu, who switched the play to Kaoru Mitoma on the left. His ball into the box was touched on by Danny Welbeck and Kadioglu finished with aplomb.

“Had Brighton boasted a more substantial lead at the break, they would have been deserving of it. Ayari curled a 40-yard pass around Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk for Georginio Rutter to burst onto, but Caoimhin Kelleher produced a crucial save with his leg.”

Georginio Rutter was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher to make it 2-0 to Albion. 📷 by James Boardman.

On the BBC Sport website, Emlyn Begley went further. “For a while Brighton looked as if they could be entering the title conversation,” he wrote.

“Fabian Hurzeler, the youngest permanent Premier League manager ever at the age of 31, has carried on the excellent work of his predecessors and has them dreaming of even more.

“They fully merited their lead when Danny Welbeck knocked Kaoru Mitoma’s cross on to summer signing Kadioglu, who scored his first goal in English football [actually his second].”

Andy Hunter of The Observer thought that Arne Slot’s team had been “battered and bruised for 48 first-half minutes by Brighton.

Ferdi Kadioglu scored his first Premier League goal with a wonderful effort at Anfield. 📷 by James Boardman.

“Brighton’s slender interval lead flattered Liverpool enormously. Fabian Hürzeler’s side were superior in every department. A two- or three-goal advantage would have been a more accurate reflection of their dominance. Slow, sloppy and far too casual, Liverpool’s first-half display played into the hands of a quality opponent. The Brighton central midfield of Jack Hinshelwood and Yasin Ayari outplayed their opposite numbers, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, as did the outstanding Kaoru Mitoma against Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“The Brighton goal was finally breached by an element of good fortune. Gakpo curled over an inswinging cross that just missed the head of the impressive Jan Paul van Hecke, and Darwin Núñez behind him, before nestling inside the far post.”

In The Sunday Telegraph, Chris Bascombe reported that “Hurzeler had no wish to dwell on the positives of his side’s overall performance when they could have been 4-0 up and - in his words - ‘should have won easily’. So impressive were Brighton early on, it is tempting to declare their manager is the real deal, regardless of his inexperience.

“Brighton deserved their lead on 14 minutes, their passing triangles yielding the reward of Ferdi Kadioglu’s diagonal shot beating Caoimhin Kelleher. But for Kelleher it would have been two, the Irish keeper denying Georginio Rutter in a one-on-one. That followed a glorious pass from Yasin Ayari.”

Kaoru Mitoma and Trent Alexander-Arnold had a good battle on the Albion left. 📷 by James Boardman.

Ken Lawrence wrote in The Sun on Sunday that “Ferdi Kadioglu grabbed a stunning opener, Brighton could have been at least three ahead and the Kop, along with boss Slot, looked on in disbelief for this game could easily have been all over by the break. The Seagulls were slick, confident, highly organised and ever-ready to hit their opponents on the break.

“Brighton only wanted more Reds blood and came so close to spilling it again in the 27th minute. Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood (sic) sent forward a brilliant pass for Georginio Rutter who found himself one-on-one with Kelleher. The £40m buy from Leeds stumbled slightly in the heat of the moment, his left footer lacking fire, Alisson’s Irish understudy taking centre stage to block.”

According to Mark Jones of The Sunday Mirror, “Brighton had been brilliant and fully deserved their lead through Ferdi Kadioglu’s fine strike, only for two goals in two minutes from Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah to win the day at a raucous Anfield.

“Brighton took the lead in fine style in the 14th minute. Kaoru Mitoma was allowed too much space to make one of his menacing runs down the left, and when his centre was flicked by Danny Welbeck it beat the entire Liverpool defence and landed at the feet of Kadioglu, who crashed a superb effort across Caoimhin Kelleher and in off the post to stun the Kop.

Arne Slot admitted he enjoys watching Albion play. 📷 by James Boardman.

“Brighton were never going to sit on their lead, and they continued to threaten. Liverpool looked rattled, but instead of plotting a route back into the game they turned giving the ball away into an art form. Brighton still pressed and came close to a second when Welbeck's free-kick hit the side netting.”

In The Mail on Sunday, Lewis Steele recalled that “Slot had name-checked two teams that he had rushed home to watch - Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and *checks notes* Brighton. Funnily enough, Brighton played like prime Barcelona for 45 minutes and strangled Liverpool to near-submission.

“Fabian Hurzeler’s scintillating Seagulls led through Ferdi Kadioglu’s first-half strike and then took turns to miss gilt-edged chances to make it two. [Hurzeler’s] team were swashbuckling, making Liverpool look bang average. This was a clinic from Hurzeler’s team, who regularly passed through the home midfield as if they were not there.

“That was how the first goal came, starting with Jan Paul van Hecke and culminating with Kadioglu’s peach of a first-time effort into the same corner of the net that was later rippling from Salah’s winner.”