Welbeck brace dents Liverpool top-four bid with defeat at Brighton

Danny Welbeck scored both goals as Brighton & Hove Albion overpowered Liverpool 2-1 in their EPL match at the Amex stadium in Saturday’s early kick-off.

The former Manchester United youngster scored in each half to further dent the Reds’ top-four ambition in a below-par season for the soon to be deposed EPL champions. Milos Kerkez scored the visitors’ solitary goal.

Liverpool’s gloomy day began with injury to Hugo Ekitike eight minutes into the encounter. The French forward, Liverpool’s highest goalscorer this season, limped off and Arne Slot had to reshuffle his team so early in the game.

Brighton capitalized on the reshuffling to take the lead on 14 minutes when Welbeck rose higher than Ibrahima Konate to nod home Diego Gomez’s header back across goal.

The visitors responded with a flicked Alexis Mac Allister header that was saved by Bart Verbruggen, but the Belgian goalkeeper could not save the hosts when Lewis Dunk’s blind back pass was intercepted by Kerkez, and the left back flicked the ball over Verbruggen into the net for 1-1 on 30 minutes.

Liverpool were expected to take the initiative in the second half, but it was the Seagulls who went ahead for the second time in the match, and Welbeck completed his brace.

The 35-year-old forward poked home from close range when Yankuba Minteh’s cross was laid onto his path by Jack Hinshelwood to score his 12th goal of the season, a personal record for the striker.

Liverpool went in search of an equalizer but Brighton withstood the pressure to seal a win that moves them up to eighth on the EPL log. Liverpool however suffered their 10th league defeat of the season, are winless in three league matches, and remain in 5th place with 49 points from 31 games.