Liverpool 2 Albion 0: two early goals end a nine-game unbeaten run

Brighton & Hove Albion^1,2,4,5 lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, their first defeat in nine games. Both goals came in the first 21 minutes. Albion are still third in the Premier League.

It started badly. Ferdi Kadioglu went off with a back injury after six minutes and Costinha came on. With the game still goalless after 12 minutes, Yasin Ayari shot over from 15 yards with Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker well off his line.

Florian Wirtz then scored with a shot that deflected in off Pascal Gross. Alexander Isak made it 2-0 from Bradley Barcola’s pull-back on the right. Ayari later bent a shot against the post after Chema Andres hurried Liverpool into giving the ball away from a goal kick.

Fabian Hurzeler replaced Olivier Boscagli, who had been booked, with Jack Hinshelwood at half-time. Chema limped off 10 minutes after the restart. Malick Yalcouye had a shot blocked, but the club’s own report said Albion “weren’t at their very best”.

“It was a missed opportunity,” Hurzeler said. “I think in the end we made two easy mistakes so they could score two goals.”

He added: “We have to avoid these easy mistakes if you want to win games here, and that’s what we have to learn from today.”

Albion’s next home game is against Brentford at the Amex on Sunday 8 November at 2pm. Before that they go to Manchester City twice in four days: the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday at 7.30pm, then the league game on Saturday at 3pm. If you have a ticket for Saturday and can’t go, the club’s resale stays open until 9am on Thursday. It costs 10% of the ticket price.