Liverpool’s right triangle was synonymous with their 2019-20 Premier League title victory.
Mohamed Salah coming in from the wing, Trent Alexander-Arnold pushing from full-back and Jordan Henderson turning wide to cover – Liverpool have won 21 of the 22 league games the trio have started together.
Among the 21 was a 2-1 defeat to visitors Brighton & Hove Albion in November 2019. But since then, Brighton have been a scarecrow team for Jurgen Klopp’s side – with three wins at Brighton and four draws in of the nine matches preceding the meeting of the two teams. at Anfield again on Sunday.
Klopp had not beaten his counterpart Roberto De Zerbi for four meetings. De Zerbi insisted the statistic was a “coincidence”, but, since 2020-21, Liverpool have only had a worse record (in terms of lowest win rate) against Real Madrid.
In many ways, Liverpool’s 2-1 win yesterday was a repeat of that game four and a half years ago, but with very different personnel. It was Liverpool’s right side once again, but Salah was the only constant. Alexis Mac Allister, signed from Brighton this summer, and Conor Bradley replaced Henderson and Alexander-Arnold respectively.
Alexander-Arnold explained the tactics behind Liverpool’s triangles Athleticism in 2022: “We have number 8 in midfield, full-backs and wingers on each side. This is about ensuring, at all times, that there is someone occupying the width, someone at the top of the last line and someone in a half space or in a middle eight ground.
It’s more fluid than structured, but it’s an interchangeable trio that has been less common this season, with Alexander-Arnold periodically occupying a central midfield role.
But with Alexander-Arnold injured and Bradley riding from the right of the back four, Liverpool began to exploit a Brighton defensive block that has struggled all season to prevent or defend balls, particularly those inside the full back.
Liverpool’s approach was made worse by the fact that Andy Robertson was also injured, with right-footed Joe Gomez replacing him at left-back. With no natural width on that side, Gomez moved towards midfield, providing an additional option for central progression, but this left Luis Diaz isolated on the left wing and channeling Liverpool’s attack down the right – especially since Gomez’s adapted right foot passes to that side.
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Salah looked to play inside, which created space for Bradley to advance into. Mac Allister’s job was to provide service, not cover, with Jarell Quansah and Wataru Endo on hand to prevent or end counter-attacks. Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan and left winger Simon Adingra duly struggled against Liverpool’s turnovers.
In steady possession, Estupinan would sometimes position himself close to the advanced Bradley, which pulled him off the ball’s vertical line and opened a lane for Mac Allister to slide through Salah’s passes – if Adingra switched off, Salah had a free kick. .
Because Brighton were not as aggressively man for man as in other matches, there were occasions where Estupinan and Adingra failed to put Bradley/Salah back on their rotation, leaving them unmarked.
Here’s what the shape mainly looked like, with Endo situated between Liverpool’s centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Quansah. This allowed Quansah to position himself wider, turning the wide triangle into a diamond.
In this sequence, Quansah passes it over Adingra’s head to Bradley, prompting Estupinan to come out towards the young full-back.
Like Estupinan, Adingra is not recovering quickly enough. Bradley slides it inside to Salah, who dribbles into the area and curls a shot that hits the outside of the post. His 12 shots yesterday were the most he has ever taken in a Premier League match, and half of them came in the first 20 minutes.
12 – Mo Salah scored 12 shots against Brighton, his most in a Premier League match, the most ever (2003–04) by a Liverpool player in a match in the competition, and the most by any any top-flight player since Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Burnley in October 2016 (12). Persistent. pic.twitter.com/i4jgdRTOLQ
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 31, 2024
Mac Allister’s progressive passing was a feature of the afternoon: he played 22 such passes, the most on the pitch and more than a quarter of Liverpool’s team total (81) . Thirteen of his 58 successes (12 of 25 when isolated on forward passes only) were aimed at Salah.
The defense-splitting pass from the half-space has become Liverpool’s main route to goal.
Here, Endo is more advanced and Liverpool strengthens with its central defenders. Mac Allister receives from Van Dijk, while Bradley darts behind the Brighton midfielder. Salah holds the width.
Mac Allister turns around. Adingra marked Bradley but he and Estupinan switched roles as the full-back gained strength. Mac Allister sees the change and passes between them, as Salah makes a diagonal run behind.
Salah, with a clear view of the goal, should shoot or pass, but tries to cut inside on his dominant left foot. Adingra recovers to tackle him and concedes a corner.
Liverpool’s equalizer came in the second phase from a corner later in the half, again after an attack from the right side – Salah dropped down to receive Endo’s pass (Bradley pushed forward), l He placed on Mac Allister and a sprinting Tariq Lamptey tackled the Argentinian, who was leading at the corner.
Klopp called it “the best performance we had against Roberto’s Brighton. More possession, better possession. A very good rhythm in the game.” Possession and pace were words he had emphasized beforehand, wanting to minimize Brighton’s build-up (due to the difficulty of pressing).
The “best possession” Klopp referred to is important. Liverpool had 55 percent of the ball, about the norm for their other games against De Zerbi’s Brighton, but their pitch tilt was 70 percent – Liverpool’s share of the final third of the match’s passing total – was comfortably the highest against them. Brighton were often stuck deep, although they broke out frequently in the first half, as Liverpool’s counter-press was loose and also conceded too many fouls.
“We showed the boys some situations at half-time and told them what we needed to keep doing, where we needed to calm down,” Klopp said. “We tried that and again controlled large parts of the game, as much as possible against them. This is not always possible because it is extremely intense to deny them.
If Liverpool’s right side indirectly equalized, they undoubtedly gave away the winner. Tellingly, for all their attacks from that side, Liverpool attempted just five crosses from the right, their fewest number in a Premier League game since four against Brighton in the reverse fixture in October.
It was through incisive passing instead of crossing that Liverpool won the match.
Bradley and Salah play on the last line here, so Dominik Szoboszlai provides the width, positioned behind Adingra to receive Van Dijk’s pass.
Szoboszlai dribbles forward, then passes to unmarked Mac Allister – Brighton’s defense has dropped into the box and Bradley screens to pass in behind.
Salah, initially marked by Pascal Gross, comes to life as defender Jan Paul van Hecke goes deep at the far post, playing him in. Mac Allister passes it between Lewis Dunk and Gross. Salah takes two touches: one to control, one to score.
Sunday’s performance was a mix of Liverpool 2019-20 – the wide triangles – and the 2023-24 version. They conceded first again but made a comeback, the theme of this season. Danny Welbeck’s goal after 89 seconds was the earliest by a visiting team at Anfield since Harry Kane for Tottenham in October 2019 (47 seconds).
It is their seventh victory, and their 24th, 25th and 26th points, after a losing position in the Premier League this season, the first being a club record.
Liverpool have been more efficient than effective, and a little too emotional at times, but have mostly taken charge of the Premier League title race – they are two points clear with nine games each remaining after the goalless draw in Arsenal and Manchester City later today. Data provider Opta rates Liverpool’s title chances improving by 12 percentage points this weekend, making them now the favorite (48%).
Salah, Van Dijk and Gomez were the only players in Liverpool’s starting XI against Brighton who featured in the 2019-20 season (goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was in the team but his only appearances were in the domestic cups). Neither new signing Mac Allister nor academy graduate Bradley were first-team players before this summer.
It is a testament to their recruitment, in-depth planning and training that Liverpool are evolving the team and reshaping profiles, while retaining their threat at scale.