Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed what Jurgen Klopp told his Liverpool players at half-time against Brighton.
Liverpool knew Brighton at the weekend was never going to be an easy game. The first match back after the international break is always difficult.
Let alone against an opponent who Liverpool hadn’t beaten since 2019 at Anfield. And against a manager who Jurgen Klopp hadn’t got the better of in four previous attempts in Roberto De Zerbi.
Things would be made even more difficult for Liverpool when the Reds conceded an early goal within the first few minutes of the match. Most teams would have struggled to bounce back from that given the context.
However, Liverpool are made of sturdier stuff at the moment. They got an equaliser before the half-time break and then really turned the gears on in the second-half.
Now Dominik Szoboszlai has explained what Klopp told his teammates during the half-time break that helped them to secure a come-back victory.
Szoboszlai on what Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool players at half-time
Szoboszlai played his part in Liverpool’s winning goal. His long drive from midfield into the right-back channel saw him spot Alexis Mac Allister on the edge of the Brighton box, unmarked. Mac Allister then played a brilliant pass into Mohamed Salah, who couldn’t miss.
After the game, Klopp praised Szoboszlai’s contribution as ‘unbelievable.’ And you can’t really argue with that. It proved to be a decisive moment in the match.
Speaking to Hungarian outlet Sportal after the game, Szoboszlai was also asked about what Klopp had told the Liverpool players at half-time, and the Hungarian went onto explain as follows:
“Actually, nothing extra changed,” Szoboszlai said.
“He just instilled in us that we should continue where we left off in the first half, because the situations are there, and the goals will come with time. That’s how it happened, even after the turn, we created several jumps, fortunately with Salah’s goal, we secured the victory.
“Obviously, it would have been better if we ended the match earlier and we didn’t have to worry until the last minute, but the main thing is that we ended the game without conceding a goal.”
What happened to Liverpool the last time they beat Brighton 2-1?
As mentioned above, it has been a while since Liverpool beat Brighton at Anfield. Liverpool’s unbeaten run had stretched to over four years until Mohamed Salah’s winner on Sunday.
The last time Liverpool beat Brighton by the same score-line at Anfield was back in 2019. Virgil van Dijk scored an impressive brace in that game and helped the Reds to an important three points.
This also happened during the 2019/20 season, when Liverpool would go onto lift the Premier League title. Perhaps the result on Sunday is a good omen for what Liverpool will hope to do once again this season.