Trossard’s hat-trick secures a tense draw for Brighton against Liverpool
On Saturday, a hat-trick from Belgian attacker Leandro Trossard gave Brighton & Hove Albion a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with title contender Liverpool.
Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge could not have gotten off to a better start than when Trossard scored two goals in the 17th minute to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at shocked Anfield.
Roberto Firmino’s goal, which was first called out for offside against Mohamed Salah but later reversed by VAR, handed his team a lifeline in the 33rd minute, as home fans got angrier as the hosts failed to generate chances.
Brighton gave Liverpool additional issues early in the second half, but their squandered opportunities proved costly as Firmino equalised with his fifth league goal of the season — the same number he scored all of last season.
In the 63rd minute, Brighton’s Adam Webster threw the ball into his own net, putting Liverpool on pace for an important win after a difficult start to the season.
Trossard completed his hat trick with seven minutes remaining, ensuring that Brighton left Merseyside with the point they earned, a tie that leaves them in fourth place, four points clear of Liverpool in ninth.
Prior to kickoff against high-flying Brighton, leaders Arsenal were 12 points ahead of Klopp’s squad and Liverpool was under pressure to produce a strong start to a hectic October.
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As Brighton grabbed control in the Merseyside sunlight, Liverpool’s prospects of bringing the Premier League title back to Anfield for the second time under the German coach seemed to be a faraway fantasy.
First, Danny Welbeck flicked the ball through for Trossard to score in the fourth minute, marking the ninth time in Liverpool’s previous 11 league games that they’ve surrendered first. Then, the same player scored a nearly identical second goal in the 66th minute.
Replays revealed that Salah was barely onside when he deflected the ball into Firmino’s path, despite the linesman’s flag having been raised just before the goal.
The Reds began the game with Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz all on the bench, but Diaz’s substitution at halftime produced instant benefits, as the Colombian provided the ball for Firmino, whose exquisite touch and finish did the rest.
Liverpool seized the lead in the 63rd minute when Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez misjudged his punch, leaving Webster helpless as the ball drifted into his own net off his chest.
Welbeck was denied by a superb stop by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, but Trossard again came perfectly timed at the back post to become the third opponent to score a Premier League hat trick at Anfield.
