A new club will lift the FA Cup at the end of the competition. Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma scored a beautiful goal in the second minute of stoppage time, cutting around a defender and scoring in the top of the net as Brighton knocked title holders Liverpool out of the FA Cup by a 2-1 score.
First Half
Brighton earned an early corner, but Alisson claimed the cross. Mohamed Salah hit on the ensuing counter-attack but his shot was saved off the line by Lewis Dunk in the 4th minute. Salah then earned a corner, but Harvey Elliott put a shot right at the keeper.
The match slowed down for a stretch, but the action picked up in the 15th minute when Evan Ferguson's s shot was cleared by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Kaoru Mitoma unleased a shot for the Seagulls, but Alisson recorded a save in the 21st. Salah missed a golden opportunity in the 25th minute when he put a chance wide after a nice pass from Elliott.
Liverpool struck first right at the half-hour mark. Salah struck once again on a counter-attack and found Elliott. The teenager then nestled a shot in the bottom corner of the net. After a VAR check, the goal stood, giving Liverpool a short-lived 1-0 lead.
Brighton found an equalizer in the 39th minute as Dunk redirected a shot by Tariq Lamptey past Alisson. As a result, the match was level at the half, 1-1.
Second Half
Brighton earned a free kick in the 49th minute, but Dunk's attempt was high and wide. James Milner came on the pitch as a substitute in the 60th minute and delivered a nice ball to Salah in the box, but he could not finish from a tight angle.
Liverpool kept playing the ball into dangerous areas, but they could not find the magic in the box. Milner took a corner in the 69th minute, but the chance went begging. Alisson made an important stop on an attempted Solly March header 71st minute to keep the match level.
Ibrahima Konaté added an important block in the 81st minute, but the defense could not keep out Mitoma's beautiful stoppage-time goal, sending Liverpool to the 2-1 defeat.
Better, But Not Good Enough
Liverpool played much better than the last time they faced Brighton in a 3-0 loss. In fact, they generated more chances in the previous meeting. Those chances dried up in the second half, however, as the Seagulls dominated play for the most part, before getting the late winner.
Missed Opportunities
Jürgen Klopp and the players will look back at the film and rue the missed chances the Reds had in the first half, Salah had a pair of early chances, one that was blocked off the line and one the Egyptian King uncharacteristically put wide. Hopefully, that will not damage the veteran's confidence moving forward.
An FA Cup Curse
The 4th Round of the FA Cup has not been kind to the reigning champions as the cup holders have been eliminated in this round each of the last three seasons. Liverpool become the latest victim, joining Arsenal and Leicester in that unhappy group.
Elliott Emerging As A Threat
Harvey Elliott has 5 goals on the season, but he has scored in each of Liverpool's last two FA Cup ties. The Reds need an offensive-minded midfielder who can not only deliver the ball to the strikers up top but also finish when called upon. Hopefully, Elliott can fill that role.
LFC Globe Verdict
Even while Liverpool have been struggling in Premier League play this season, supporters held out hope that the Reds could repeat as FA Cup champions. Well, now that hope is gone Liverpool played better than the last time they met Brighton on the Amex Stadium pitch, but that's of little solace when suffering a tough loss. The silver lining is that Liverpool's busy schedule has opened up a bit and Klopp can turn his full attention to the Champions League and Premier League.
Man Of The Match & What's Next
Harvey Elliott was the strongest player on the pitch for Liverpool. Not only did he score a goal, but he set Salah up with some top-class passes that Salah could not finish.
For Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma proved a menace with his pace for Trent Alexander Arnold and other Reds' defenders all match long. Watching the game, you got the feeling that it was just a matter of time before he scored.
What's Next
Liverpool return to EPL play on Saturday, February 4th. They will face Wolves away at Molineux Stadium with kickoff set for 15:00 GMT.
Goals
Liverpool
- Harvey Elliott 30'
Brighton
- Lewis Dunk 39'
- Kaoru Mitoma 90+2'
Substitutions
Liverpool
- James Milner for Trent Alexander-Arnold 59'
- Darwin Núñez for Harvey Elliott 59'
- Jordan Henderson for Naby Keïta 59'
- Curtis Jones for Thiago 79'
- Fabinho for Stefan Bajcetic 84'
Brighton
- Joel Veltman for Adam Webster 45'
- Billy Gilmour for Danny Welbeck 67'
- Deniz Undav for Evan Ferguson 89'
- Jan Paul van Hecke for Tariq Lamptey 90+'
