Danny Welbeck brace deepens Liverpool woes in top five battle

Liverpool’s push for a top-five Premier League finish hit another setback as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat away to Brighton, undone by a Danny Welbeck double.

The result comes just days after a strong win over Galatasaray, underlining how fragile their momentum remains.

The afternoon began badly when Hugo Ekitike was forced off injured after a collision with James Milner inside the opening minutes. Brighton then struck first, Welbeck rising above Ibrahima Konate to head in from close range. Liverpool responded and briefly grew into the game, levelling when Giorgi Mamardashvili’s long ball eventually broke kindly for Milos Kerkez, who coolly lifted it over Bart Verbruggen.

After the break, however, Liverpool faded badly. Sloppy defending gifted Welbeck his second, with even Virgil van Dijk caught out as the Brighton striker pounced to restore the hosts’ lead. From there, the Seagulls looked more likely to extend their advantage than concede, comfortably seeing out the win.

The defeat leaves Liverpool at serious risk of dropping out of fifth place, with Chelsea just one point behind and still to play Everton later in the day.