Trossard excels in false nine role and Albion dressing room has great team spirit: Five things we learnt from Brighton's heroic comeback against Liverpool


Here are five things we learnt from Brighton' s pulsating comeback to draw 2-2 with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
Albion went 2-0 down inside 24 minutes after a blistering start by The Reds saw Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane get on the scoresheet.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdEnock Mwepu scored a wonder goal just before half-time to make it 2-1 which gave Albion a massive boost going into the final 45 minutes.
The Seagulls absolutely dominated the second half and equalised through Leandro Trossard's composed finish.
Here's what we can takeaway from the game:
Brighton did not learn their lesson against Man City
After being absolutely battered in the first half against Man City, you would have thought Albion would be tighter against Liverpool in the first 45 minutes this weekend.
But the Seagulls found themselves 2-0 down after 24 minutes, and it looked like it was going to be an absolute onslaught - Liverpool were unplayable and Brighton couldn't get near them.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdI think one of the reasons why Brighton took a hammering was because they sat deep in a 4-4-1-1. But it didn't work. Albion were too passive in this out-of-possession formation and didn't look comfortable at all.
I think Potter was thinking Albion would soak up the pressure in the first half and then go for it in the second, which is eventually what they did but not without a bit of luck with a VAR call, a last ditch tackle from Dunk to stop Firmino scoring and a Mwepu wonder strike to give them something to build on.
Brighton play better when they are attacking and on the front foot, but maybe Potter thought he couldn't do that for 90 minutes because against Liverpool you can leave yourself too open.
Team spirit
Albion has a lot of team spirit and character.
It takes a proper tight-knit team to force their way back into a game like that at Anfield.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdI think because they've played together consistently for three seasons together under Potter that a standard has been set.
It's like playing with your mates, you don't want to let your mates down, so Albion never really lose by 3/4/5 to nil because they're always playing for each other.
Results like today are only going to help grow that team spirit because they will start to believe just how good they are and just how good Potter is.
I think the people driving that team spirit is Adam Lallana, Lewis Dunk and the more senior pros, and the youngsters who have been brought in feed off of that.
This team is never out of the running.
False nine Tross
Brighton can play without a striker.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPlaying a false nine was clever from Potter. There's no way Trossard or Maupay were going to beat Konate or Van Dijk man for man in terms of pace or physicality - Albion beat this elite centre back pairing with brains.
Trossard helped pull Konate and Van Dijk out of position which allowed Brighton to get runners in behind, which is how the majority of their efforts on goal were created.
For this team to go to Anfield without a recognised striker and score two goals is really impressive.
It shows you don't need a striker to score goals, you just need the right plan.
Sanchez spared blushes
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRobert Sanchez was momentarily embarrassed in front of a crowd which have the ability to make you feel very small.
It was 2-0, the ball comes back to him and he's far too casual with it on his own goal line and Mane closed him down and scored. It effectively ended Brighton's afternoon
Fortunately for Brighton, VAR ruled it out for handball. It was the correct decision but Sanchez wasn't to know it came off Mane's arm. Very lucky.
It could have been a much different day if that stands. Brighton have got to look at that and have a word with Sanchez.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt's a great philosophy, playing it out from the back, and it looks great when it comes off but you've just got to pick your moments.
It's a learning curve and obviously the more you practice it in play the better you get. So hopefully Sanchez will learn from this.
Trust in Potter
There can be no denying how good Potter is anymore.
Potter is answering his critics every single week in the Premier League.
The performances against Man City, the performances against Liverpool, in patches, are exceptional.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThis team has gone from relegation fodder to potential European contenders - that's a huge, huge step in the space of two or three seasons.
They've stayed loyal to him and are now going to Anfield and playing Liverpool off the park.
It's a very good position to be in. And if Potter stays for another two or three years, who knows where this could go?
Potter in.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.