Brighton 3-2 Liverpool | Premier League highlights

Liverpool faltering

After a run of 69 straight Premier League starts, Virgil van Dijk was left on the bench by Arne Slot, who handed a start to Quansah and gave his captain a rest.

That decision perhaps had consequences, with Brighton finding plenty of attacking joy throughout the contest, and it was Quansah who just failed to move out swiftly enough to catch O’Riley offside in the build-up to Hinshelwood’s winner.

Indeed, Liverpool could easily have conceded more, with Alisson having to pull off a smart stop to thwart the typically busy Welbeck.

However, matters could have been different if Salah had brought his shooting boots to the south coast.

Salah’s swing and miss with the goal at his mercy showed he is human, after all, and he shot at Verbruggen shortly after from close range as the Egyptian failed to mark his 400th Liverpool game – and his 300th Premier League match overall – with a strike that would have seen him equal the competition’s single-season goal contribution record.

The performance of Bradley, though, was an overall positive, and it was telling that Slot did not turn to Trent Alexander-Arnold at all, with the right-back leaving the Reds at the end of the season.

Bradley may have more competition at right-back next season, with Jeremie Frimpong reportedly a Liverpool target, but he did his chances no harm, even if he could perhaps have done better for Brighton’s first goal.

The Reds will now aim to finish a fantastic season on a winning note when they take on FA Cup victors Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday.

Super subs seal it for Seagulls

Fabian Hurzeler got his changes spot on, with three of his five substitutes playing a key role as Brighton ended their home campaign on a high.

Mitoma provided the touch of class to finish after Alisson had frustrated Welbeck, and his guile in the final third was enough to put Liverpool’s sluggish defence on the back foot.

It was Hinshelwood who was the hero, though, as he netted the fourth-fastest goal by a substitute in the Premier League this season.

And to make his cameo even more special, the matchwinner was subbed on alongside his cousin, Harry Howell, who became Brighton’s youngest player in the Premier League in the process.

Brighton are now unbeaten in their last three home league games against Liverpool, and this win has propelled them three points clear of Brentford in the race for eighth, which may still be enough to secure European football for next season.

They round off their campaign with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur, with a point in that fixture enough to guarantee them an eighth-place finish.

What the managers said

Fabian Hurzeler: “There have been a lot of highs and lows throughout the season. It’s important you don’t overreact and important to stay grounded and humble because there is still one game to go but I’m really proud of the team.”

Arne Slot: “Two very good teams wanting to play football, not time wasting, no diving. Momentum changed in the game and I waited for us to score the third, that would have killed the game but they made it 2-2. Great game of football but not the result we wanted.”