The Media Review: Liverpool

The writers who packed the Amex press box and spilled over into the top rows of the West Stand came to see how Liverpool would react to the ending of their long winning run last weekend but stayed to admire Albion’s performance. 

And they all enjoyed the performances of players whose names were unfamiliar to most of them. Lewis Steele of The Daily Mail, for instance, after noting that “Liverpool easily swatted away Bournemouth, Newcastle, Wolves, LASK and Leicester when going behind but many felt that they would struggle to make a habit of victory if they started so poorly against a serious team. That has been the case against Tottenham and Brighton.

“And Simon Adingra caused Klopp's side all sorts of problems with his pace and directness. Another dominant performance came from Carlos Baleba, who was signed from Lille for £23.2m in the summer. Mac Allister got a warm applause before the match but Brighton have moved on and Baleba looks the part. That's what they do around here: one moves on, another steps up.”

Charlie Wyett of The Sun agreed, writing that Baleba “looked as though he had been playing in his team’s midfield for ages.”

In The Times, Alyson Rudd wrote that “this was a contest between equals in the sense that both are competing in the Europa League this season, a competition that is slightly beneath the Merseyside club but one that marks historic progress for the south-coast team, who are having to learn how to cope with the extra workload.

“It often looks as if De Zerbi has simply instructed his players to be as fearless as possible. Carlos Baleba embarked on a strong loping run through the middle, shaped to pass to Kaoru Mitoma, which was the sensible option, but instead then unleashed a shot from 30 yards out. It did not trouble Alisson unduly but the tone was well and truly set. Liverpool had to expect the unexpected. The conductor in chief for the first half an hour was Pascal Gross, who covered every inch of the midfield, often dropping into the back line.”

Others concentrated on Adingra rather than Baleba. Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian wrote that “Brighton have been just as mercurial as Liverpool this season, thrilling yet open, never more than a couple of seconds from scoring, never more than a couple of seconds from conceding. A euphoric feel pervades the Amex, a sense that they cannot quite believe their elevation to the European stage. 

“This was a game defined by pressing and by both sides conceding possession in trying to pass out from the back. Brighton, who seemed in control for most of the first half, went ahead as Simon Adingra intercepted Virgil van Dijk’s ball to Alexis Mac Allister and rolled the ball in from 30 yards as Alisson, who had squared the ball to Van Dijk, failed to get back. It was a goal born of Brighton’s press, of the alertness and composure of Adingra, of poor pass selection and a lack of awareness.

“But it was also born of Brighton’s almost impeccable recruitment, identifying the Ivorian’s potential after a season in the Danish league with Nordsjælland. The 21-year-old very nearly got a second soon after half-time, sweeping inside Andy Robertson before being denied by a remarkable save from Alisson, who somehow reached behind him to claw away the goal-bound shot.”

The I agreed: “Adingra is yet another exciting rising star that Brighton have acquired at a bargain price, and he scored his second goal for the club after 20 minutes when he beat former Brighton favourite Alexis Mac Allister to Virgil van Dijk’s underhit pass, spotted goalkeeper Alisson out of his ground and rolled the ball in from 25 yards.” 

Others praised Albion’s resilience as a group. On The Mirror website, Samuel Meade offered the opinion that “it feels as though, for all their attractive play, the wind could have been taken out of Brighton's sail this past week. European qualification last term ramped up the expectations and the way they dismantled Newcastle and then made light work of their away day in Manchester underlined their quality.

“But eight days ago they shipped six at Aston Villa, another side looking to break into the Premier League establishment, and had they let the [game] slip against Liverpool it would've left them somewhat deflated. Instead, their late leveller showed that Brighton are able to mix it with the elite, both physically and psychologically, as they too showed their powers of recovery.”

On the BBC website, Neil Johnston wrote that “Brighton have made rapid progress under Roberto de Zerbi but there have been questions whether they can cope with balancing Europa League football with the rigours of the Premier League.

“They are without a win in four games in all competitions but, for the second time this week, the Seagulls left the pitch to a standing ovation from their supporters after refusing to lie down.

“Having fought back from 2-0 down to draw their Europa League encounter with Marseille 2-2 in France on Thursday, De Zerbi's side produced another spirited performance to rescue a point.

“Liverpool looked to be on their way to victory after bouncing back from going behind to Adingra's goal, only for Dunk to ensure Brighton avoided back-to-back league defeats going into the international break.”

Thom Gibbs summed up in The Daily Telegraph: “Everyone connected with Brighton and Hove Albion will tell you that their current position as a major club is uncharted territory, but they are doing a very convincing impression of one. This point from behind against one of the country’s true giants was more evidence that they are equal to the new challenges they face almost every week.

“They finished strongly against Liverpool, after looking stranded at 2-1 down. Hanging around in games like these suggests real mettle. 

“Dunk completed an inconsistent afternoon by scoring an unexpected equaliser, for him, his team and seemingly Liverpool’s defence. Several had a chance to deal with Solly March’s crossed free-kick, all watched it sail past as if hypnotised. Dunk steered it in and Brighton pass another test.”