How Brighton exposed Liverpool
Graham Potter's side showed how to stretch a typically robust Liverpool defense
Liverpool have had a terrific campaign so far, sitting undefeated on top of Group B in the Champions League, and just three points behinds Chelsea at the summit of the Premier League table.
Despite that, when attacked in a particular type of way, Liverpool’s defense have had their issues by being left exposed and out of position.
What we have known for a long time is that Liverpool have the stability in midfield to allow their full backs - Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson - to push up the field and provide an attacking and creative outlet from width.
Typically, one of Alexander-Arnold or Robertson will attack when in possession, while the other will sit back to form a back-3 alongside their central defensive pairing.
However, last time out in the Champions League, Atleti found a way to exploit the space and stretch Liverpool’s stretched defense by taking on their opposing midfielders to break the lines, and attack their defense while one of the full-backs is out of position.
And on the weekend in the Premier League, Brighton also found joy seeking a similar route - exploiting the space behind Liverpool’s attacking fullback.
Here is how they did it:
Early in the game, Brighton executed this tactic perfectly when Alexander-Arnold had pushed up to join in the attack. When possession was turned over, the Seagulls looked to overload the space vacated on their attacking left flank.
By occupying this space, both of Liverpool center-backs - Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate - were pulled out of position to cover this space, leaving gaps in the heart of defense between Konate and Robertson:
Leandro Trossard is now able to wheel around, and perfectly slide a ball through Liverpool’s defense to play in Solly March.
Van Dijk and Konate are a formidable pair, but can be exposed when stretched out of position to cover for their full-backs.
Konate was also caught out on more than one occasion against Brighton when pushing up the field to close down a Brighton midfielder.
Later in the match, Brighton put the ball in the back of the net (only for it to be disallowed for offside) by once again overloading the space left behind an advancing full-back.
On this occasion, Robertson had pushed up the field, and when Brighton regained possession they immediately occupied the space vacated by the Scottish fullback, resulting in Van Dijk being occupied by overlapping Brighton attacker Enock Mewpu:
With Mwepo occupying Van Dijk, Tariq Lamptey slides the ball through the center backs for Trossard to round the keeper and find the back of the net:
Brighton are a brilliantly organized and disciplined side under Graham Potter, and by overloading the space behind Liverpool’s attacking full-back at the time, they have shown how to stretch and expose a typically robust Liverpool defense.