LIVERPOOL - Home, Falmer Years:
17/18 - 22/23 Prem, seasons 7-12 . '23 FA Cup, season12 . '11 EFL Cup, season1.

Manager: Jurgen Klopp (2015) - P381 W = 61.4% @ July '22 . Experience: title winner, runner up, good motivator.
Anfield, ave gate; 53K, cap; 53.4K . Nickname: Reds . Shirt: red.

Prem record from 11/12 to 21/22; 8, 7, 2, 6, 8, 4 / 4, 2, 1, 3, 2, 10 @ 7/2/23.
Prem recent Best finish = 1st - '20, Worst finish = 8th - '12, '16.
C21; title - once '20, runner-up - 4 times, top four - 9 times, top six - 4 times, top ten - 4 times .
Podiums; 21/22 - Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea.
20/21 - Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool . 19/20 - Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd .
18/19 - Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea . 13/14 - Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea.
Prem points: 52, 61, 84, 62, 60, 76, 75, 97, 99 / 69, 92, 29.
Recent managers; Brendan Rodgers (12-15), Kenny Dalglish (11-12).

22/23 odds at start: title 2/1, no trophies 5-6 . Sack JK 66/1.
Expected to finish: on podium, in top four at very least.
Run in from 8/4/23: Arsenal (H), Leeds (A), Forest (H), West Ham (A),
Spurs (H), Brentford (H), Leicester (A), Villa (H), Southampton (A)
Run in *forecast @ 1/4/23: ?pt > *?pts . Max was ? . Actual = ? . Po was ? . Actual po = ?.

LIVERPOOL away;
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . W% L%
22/23 - 02 2 6 . 11 19 -08 .. 08 10 = 0.80 27.5 . 20.0 60.0 - Jurgen Klopp
21/22 - 13 4 2 . 45 17 28 .. 43 2 = 2.26 46.7 . 68.4 10.5 - Jurgen Klopp
20/21 - 10 6 3 . 39 22 17 .. 36 3 = 1.89 52.1 . 52.6 15.7 - Jurgen Klopp.
19/20 - 14 2 3 . 33 17 16 .. 44 1 = 2.31 44.4 . 73.6 15.7 - Jurgen Klopp, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 13 5 1 . 34 12 22 .. 44 2 = 2.31 45.3 . 68.4 05.2 - Jurgen Klopp.
17/18 - 09 5 5 . 39 28 11 .. 32 4 = 1.68 42.6 . 47.3 26.3 - Jurgen Klopp.
16/17 - 10 5 4 . 33 24 09 .. 35 4 = 1.84 46.0 . 52.6 21.0 - Jurgen Klopp.
15/16 - 08 4 7 . 30 28 02 .. 28 8 = 1.47 46.6 . 42.1 36.8 - Brendan Rodgers & Jurgen Klopp.
14/15 - 08 3 8 . 22 28 -06 . 27 6 = 1.42 43.5 . 42.1 42.1 - Brendan Rodgers.
13/14 - 10 5 4 . 48 32 16 .. 35 2 = 1.84 41.7 . 52.6 21.0 - Brendan Rodgers.

Albion v Liverpool (H) from 17/18: 1-5, 0-1, 1-3, 1-1, 0-2, 3-0 . . W = 1 D = 1 L = 4 . F6 A12
scorers: Murray, Trossard, Gross, March 2, Welbeck.
memorable match: Season10 (H) - VAR intervened late in the day and fine margins tipped balance.
For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below.

Season12, FA Cup R4 (H) Sun 29/1/23 - W 2-1 ~ Dunk, Mitoma
It was an Amex Sunday lunchtime knockout kickoff at the tail end of January. Albion had drawn Reds for the FAC 4th round - meeting them here for the second time in the same month (see Prem below). We'd beaten Middlesbro away in the 3rd round, while Liverpool got past Wolves in a single goal replay at Molineux after parity on Anfield turf. The January transfer window was closing and Leo Trossard departed to Arsenal. Moises Caicedo got dropped coz Arsenal had bid big bucks and turned his head. Otherwise Roberto de Zerbi was getting a tune out of Seagulls squad but in contrast Mr Klopp was finding things tougher for Reds to deal with during all competitions to date. On the day RdZ put out a near full-strength side but the bench appeared a tad light.
match report: Albion went thru to R5 via a stoppage time winner. Reds took the lead from a counter attack after starting on the front foot (30mins). Hosts hit back when Dunk deflected a shot by Lamptey into the net (39mins). The second period was end to end stuff but it appeared to be going to a replay at the end of ninety minutes. Then Mitoma crashed home a volley inside the six yard box that VAR checked as ok (92mins). Seagulls flew as three sides of the Amex erupted in sheer joy. RdZ was happy, although he thought our team could play better. Standards had been raised under his influences and to beat last season's FA Cup winners was no mean feat anyhow. It all amounted to converting chances and blue & white were doing that almost every game these days. If we could score more than opposition then victory was ours. The football played was up to par so every reason anticipated to keep winning in the Cup and League. Everybody knew Brighton were a well managed club. Therefore this jump to higher level was on track with top ten ambitions. The trick would be in maintaining consistent displays for future success.
stats: ht 1-1, goals 39,92-30, poss 56%-44% on target 6-2, off target 7-6, corners 3-2, fouls 10-15, yellows 1-4, subs 4-5, shape 442-433
weather: cloudy . gate: . MoM: Mitoma - pace, skill & cool too.
team: 23 Steele 2 Lamptey 4 Webster 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 7 March 10 Mac Allister 13 Gross 22 Mitoma 18 Welbeck 28 Ferguson
subs: 34 Veltman 45 (4), 27 Gilmour 67 (18), 21 Undav 88 (28), 29 van Hecke 96 (2)
bench: 1 Sanchez 19 Sarmiento 20 Enciso 49 Moran 71 Hinshelwood
injured: 6 Colwill 14 Lallana
rehab: 15 Moder . squad: 25 Caicedo . left: 11 Trossard

Season12, 6th Premier League (H) Sat 14/1/23 - W 3-0 ~ March 2, Welbeck
Following a short mid-season pause for FA Cup R3 ties, second half proper of the Prem campaign was still ahead, although this was an initial recipropcal fixture. Apart from that first season thrashing from Reds here in Dec '17 (see scroll below) we had given them much more of a game each year subsequently, although had yet to register a win. As Chris Hughton observed after Seagulls initially conceded five goals; 'you have to reach a high level of performance to compete.' We'd lost again in Jan '19 and Jul '20 but bagged a point in Nov '20 before defeat once more in Mar '22 (seasons 7-11). Whether now the current squad could keep opposition's score down (hopefully a clean sheet) and get better of fine margins would go some way to eventually achieving possible victory - as unlikely as this might appear based purely on past form. Roberto de Zerbi was progressing as head coach, having visited Reds at start of October for his first game in charge of Albion. BHA went to Dubai and Liverpool to the UAE for their warm-weather camps during the World Cup finals in December. RdZ had gotten Albion firing lotsa goals after Xmas & New Year, including away in the FA Cup R3 latest. The January window was open and Facundo Buonanotte had already signed for Seagulls from Rosario in Argentina. On the weekend prior to this fixture Brighton were drawn to play FA Cup R3 replay winners, either Wolves or Liverpool, as R4 opponents at the Amex in a fortnight. In the event the Merseyside outfit got thru at seccond time of asking.
*** match report: Albion netted three goals for no reply to send them above Reds in the table. The bix-six outfit were off the boil and after a goalless first half hosts made them pay for slack defending. March bagged a brace within 8mins of turnaround to put Seagulls two up before the hour mark. First he finished a great team build up with a side-foot close to goal (46mins). Then fired home a rocket that tucked inside the far post (53mins). Icing on Brighton's cake came later in an afternoon of exciting entertainment for home support when super-sub Welbeck juggled his way past a defender and volleyed the keeper (81mins). Roberto de Zerbi was as happy as any follower of blue & white and sang praises of his squad. He put on 5 subs but these were mainly part of game management during the second period of locals dominance. Keeping a clean sheet added to terrific stats, showing visitors were outplayed and trailed in overall offensive numbers. It was one for the history book, a great day to be a Brighton fan and at the start of '23, there was lots to look forward to in coming months. And we'd meet Reds here agan at end of the month in the FA Cup too.
stats: ht 0-0, goals 46,53,81, poss 62%-38%, on 9-2, off 7-4, corners 7-1, fouls 8-15, yellows 1-3, subs 5-4, shape 4231-433
weather: showers . gate: 31,645 . MoM: March - new lease of life.
team: 1 Sanchez 13 Gross 5 Dunk Y 6 Colwill 30 Estupinan 7 March 25 Caicedo 10 Mac Allister 22 Mitoma 14 Lallana 28 Ferguson
subs: 34 Veltman 66 14, 18 Welbeck 66 28, 19 Sarmiento 83 10, 2 Lamptey 91 22, 4 Webster 91 5
bench: 23 Steele (gk) 21 Undav 27 Gilmour 29 van Hecke
injured: 0 . rehab: 15 Moder . squad: 11 Trossard 20 Enciso
Prem: P18 . W4 D2 L3 . F16 A10 . W5 D1 L3 . F19 A15 . Pt30 Po7 = 1.66pt/gm . W = 50.0% L = 33.3%

Liverpool:
Quatr: P . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
3qtrs: 20 . 08 05 07 . 34 28 06 . 29 10 = 1.45 . 40.0 35.0
hfwy: 19 . 08 05 06 . 34 25 09 . 29 9 = 1.52 . 42.1 31.5
start: 10 . 04 04 02 . 22 12 10 . 16 7 = 1.60 . 40.0 20.0 - J Klopp
Champ Lg: 16 - R Madrid
gp - Ajax 0-3 (A) 2-1 (H), Napoli 2-0 (H) 4-1 (A), Rangers 1-7 (A) 2-0 (H)
EFL Cup: Man City 3-2 (A) R4 . Derby 3pen2 0-0 (H) R3.
FA Cup: Brighton 2-1 (A) R4 . Wolves 0-1 (A) 2-2 (H) R3.
Oct: 7th in table, 2pts off 6th at Q1.
Jan: 9th, 1pts off 8th at halfway stage Q2.

Season11, 5th Premier League (H) Sat 12/3/22 - L 0-2.
Five years after getting a hammering here Albion were still in the division and actually looking forward to be on the up approaching this latest run in. Last term Seagulls might almost have got all the points from Reds too, so today was a test of potential progress against a very successful big-six outfit. Home form this campaign was however quite similar to previous seasons and old problems of scoring sufficient goals and keeping clean sheets continued despite a better brand of passing football as generally witnessed home & away. From local fans point of view Seagulls seemed to play ok, if not well, against stronger teams who didn't sit back and park the bus. Unfortunately some of those other more mediocre types of contests also ended in defeat and were hardly entertaining to boot. Graham Potter got Brighton to play out from the back and using flanks pass their way forward into the final third. Then it often paused, slowly went from side to side, backwards and so on, eventually to start again... and again. We were not known here as a fast and spontaneous counter-attacking side, nor employed a big hold up no.9 striker, so offensive options were constrained by repetitive ingrained tactics. And too many players couldn't help our forwards by chipping in extra goals, thus adding to an already obvious paltry tally. Perhaps Albion was too predictable, lacked flair & creativity and didn't or couldn't mix it up a bit during build up or approach work. This applied from both keeper & defenders as well as midfielders. It was rare to see route one balls or defenders driving deep into opposition ranks. Currently our core of on-field squad numbers was much less than bigger clubs and non-playing U23s regularly made up rest of the 9 man bench. Yes, Potter argues it is a work in progress, which Brighton fans accept - but at some stage there must be an improvement. If not we are just another struggling lower order outfit hoping the ball breaks for us again & again for as long as possible. Meanwhile Liverpool were still actively involved in the ongoing title race, forthcoming FA Cup & Champions League q-fs. All this trophy chasing was something Brighton fans could merely dream about. Our optimistic Cup run flunked miserably back in February at Spurs (our very next opponents here in midweek), while other Prem results also appeared a continuing sequence of disasters last month and on into early March.
*** match report: Albion were beaten for the third home game running and hadn't scored in any of them either. In total it was five straight losses in a row and Spurs were next here in four days time. We'd scored 1 and conceded 11 since mid February and the wheels had come off BHA's wagon on its way to an anticipated top ten finish. Seagulls flew from kickoff but crashed to earth after Reds took the lead from a ball over the top that Sanchez didn't reach (19min). The whole stadium fell flat like a broken biscuit, apart from a huge Merseyside roar in the packed away end. After turnaround Lallana came on in midfield but merely lasted 8 minutes. After that setback Ref pointed to the spot when Bissouma handled in the area. Sanchez dived left as the ball got smashed thru middle of the goal (61min). Potter threw in another striker, reshaping and changing m-f again in a desperate attempt to salvage something. But the game was up and our yellow & blue (for Ukraine support) Seagull was well & truly cooked. Potter took it on the chin - well, he said the performance was ok anyhow. But he'd be in denial if not acknowledging his match-day squad had serious issues with lack of keeping clean sheets and continuous failure to score. Brighton fans wondered if he had improved the squad to limits of their ability to play as a competitive team at this elite level. Form had clearly tailed off recently - for individuals, starting eleven and impact subs to boot. This as demonstrated by our polarised sequence of results since game 16 in mid December: wdw ddd wll lll. QED.
Stats: ht 0-1, goals 19,61, poss 52-48%, on target 3-9, off target 4-6, blocks 1-3, corners 7-6, crosses 17-14, o/s 1-1,
fouls 12-15, tackles 13-14, yellows 3-1, subs 3-3, shape 4231-433
weather: sunny . gate: 31,474 (2992 away) . MoM: Dunk - best in an average team.
team: 1 Sanchez, 2 Lamptey, 34 Veltman, 5 Dunk, 3 Cucurella, 20 March, 8 Bissouma Y (18 Welbeck 66), 17 Alzate (14 Lallana 45, 13 Gross 53),
10 Mac Allister Y, 9 Maupay Y, 11 Trossard . bench: 23 Steele (gk), 38 McGill (gk), 12 Mwepu, 15 Moder, 24 Duffy, 42 Leonard.
squad: 25 Caicedo, 28 Roberts, 58 Ferguson, 60 Sarmiento . injured: 4 Webster.
Prem: P28 . W3 D5 L6 . F10 A18 . W4 D7 L3 . F16 A16 . Pt33 Po13 = 1.17pt/gm . W = 25.0% L = 32.1%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 28 08 02 . 94 26 68 . 92 2 = 2.42 . 73.6 05.2
3qtrs: 29 . 21 06 02 . 75 20 55 . 69 2 = 2.37 . 72.4 06.8
Hfwy: 19 . 12 05 02 . 50 16 34 . 41 2 = 2.15 . 63.1 10.5
Start: 10 . 06 04 00 . 29 08 23 . 22 2 = 2.20 . 60.0 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp
Ch Lg: R Madrid L 0-1 final . Villarreal 2-0 (H) 2-3 (A) s-f . Benfica 1-3 (A) 3-3 (H) q-f . I Milan 0-2 (A) 0-1 (H) 16 .
A Madrid 2-0 (H) 2-3 (A), Porto 1-5 (A) 2-0 (H), AC Milan 3-2 (H) 1-2 (A) gp.
EFL Cup: Chelsea W 10pen11 0-0 aet final . Arsenal 0-2 (A) 0-0 (H) s-f . Leicester 5pen4 3-3(H) q-f, Preston 0-2 (A) R4, Norwich 0-3 (A) R3.
FA Cup: Chelsea W 6pen5 0-0 final . Man City 2-3 s-f . Forest 0-1 (A) q-f . Norwich 2-1 (H) R5 . Cardiff 3-1 (H) R4 . Shrewsbury 4-1 (H) R3.
Oct: 2nd in table and 3pts behind top at Q1.
Jan: 2nd, 6pts behind top spot at halfway stage Q2.
Mar: EFL Cup winners. 2nd, 1pt behind top at threequarters Q3. FA Cup & Ch Lg q-fs.
May: finished runners up on 92pts, 1pt behind top. FA Cup winners. CL finalists.

Season10, 4th Premier League (H) Sat 28/11/20 - 1-1 ~ Gross
Match played behind closed doors - no crowd as per ongoing covid lockdown restrictions.
This fixture marked completion of the first Prem quarter Q1. Therefore P10 stats today would determine what was required in future and could forecast how Albion might shape up overall by next May. Despite coronavirus at large and consequently everything else locked down, Reds had also come here behind closed doors last July and affirmed their new status as runaway worthy champions - see season9 below. The question now was, what could Graham Potter do to raise Albion's game against them and apart from that particular case, other dominant big-six opposition this term? Btw we'd already lost here versus Chelsea 1-3 & Man Utd 2-3 at a deserted Amex this term. Anyway a simple measure of things ongoing would initially be in attempting to prevent forceful attacking sides from netting, or at least maybe keep quality rival's scores down. Up the other end we were capable at worst of a consolation, although how all these functions could actually be obtained was clearly open to sporting debate. Based on our less than impressive domestic record to date, especially since games occurred routinely in empty stadiums, BHA consistently struggled to find a positive formula. In an open contest Seagulls were unlikely to win by out-scoring opponents above a couple of goals. Perhaps less is more and we'd settle for nil-nil at end of the day... any day.
*** match report: VAR rescued Albion from a very close-run seventh consecutive Prem defeat against Reds since we joined the elite in 2017. There was much talk about Seagulls not deserving to lose and other such emotive language during and after this multi-media covered contest. The fact was that BHA were going to get beat until Ref reviewed an incident in visitors area right at the death. Following a goalless first half, when Maupay missed a penalty and went off injured, it was champs who took the lead, with determination, skill & quality (60min). BHA still plugged away but could not hit on targets nor find the net. Travellers meanwhile had the ball in the old onion bag another twice but both got overturned for o/s. Lallana turned up from the bench (for Connolly who threw a strop) but the ex-Red disappeared again as quickly when injured. It all looked to be ending in tears... until late televised drama you just couldn't make up. Gross bagged the spot kick in stoppage time and it ended even steven and all over bar continued controversy raging on pay per view channels and socials to boot. Potter was smiling at post-match interview, knowing he'd got away with one, while stay at home Brighton fans thought we got what we deserved... well, we would anyhow.
Stats: ht 0-0, goals 93-60, poss 40%-60%, on target 3-2, off target 6-1, corners 4-3, o/s 2-2, crosses 13-12, blocks 2-3, tackles 22-13, fouls 9-13, yellows 2-1, subs 3-3. Weather: sunny & mild.
Team: 1 Ryan, 34 Veltman Y, 3 White Y, 5 Dunk, 4 Webster, 20 March, 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma, 7 Connolly (14 Lallana 63, 16 Jahanbakhsh 70),
18 Welbeck, 9 Maupay (11 Trossard 26) . Bench: 23 Steele, 33 Burn, 17 Alzate, 49 Molumby.
Squad: 19 Izquierdo, 29 Zeqiri, 30 Bernardo. Injured: 24 Propper . Ban: 2 Lamptey . Sick: 10 Mac Allister . MoM: 20 March.
Prem: P10 . W0 D3 L2 . F5 A8 . W2 D1 L2 . F9 A8 . Pt10 Po16 = 1.00pt/gm . Wins = 20.0%, Loss = 40.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 20 09 09 . 68 42 26 . 69 3 = 1.81 . 52.6 23.6
3qtrs: 29 . 13 07 09 . 48 36 12 . 46 7 = 1.58 . 44.8 31.0
Hfwy: 19 . 09 07 03 . 37 22 15 . 34 4 = 1.78 . 47.3 15.7
Start: 10 . 06 03 01 . 22 17 05 . 21 2 = 2.10 . 60.0 10.0 - Jurgen Klopp
Champions League: q-f - R Madrid 3-1 (A) 0-0 (H) . 16 - RB Leipzig 0-2 (A) 2-0 (H) .
group - Ajax 0-1 (A) 1-0 (H), Atalanta 0-5 (A) 0-2 (H), Midtjyland 2-0 (H) 1-1 (A).
EFL Cup: Arsenal 4pen5 (0-0) (H) R4, Lincoln 2-7 (A) R3.
FA Cup: Man Utd 3-2 (A) R4, Villa 1-4 (A) R3.
Nov: after finish of the first quarter, Reds were 2nd in the Prem table but equal on pts with leaders Spurs.
Jan: at the halfway stage Reds were 4th and 6pts off top place.
Mar: threequarters completed but only 7th and 5pts off top four.
May: Prem 3rd after great run in results. No other Cups silverware.

Season9, 3rd Premier League (H) Wed 8/7/20 - L 1-3 ~ Trossard.
PL suspended until restart from 17/6/20 after Mon 20/4/20 postponed. Revised evening fixture played behind closed doors without fans attending.
This match was one of nine run-in games postponed when the PL got suspended from mid March beyond usual May finish due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool & Man City - four big-six home matches in chronological order during our 3rd campaign closing stages. Just how easy could this run-in be? And we now also entertained Reds as confirmed title holders already, since prior to end of June. In truth Albion had probably done enough beforehand to go again in the Prem next season. Teams in the d-z were losing consistently since football restarted, while Seagulls had picked up points to establish a 9pt gap to the bottom three. So perhaps the exercise now was for Seagulls to put in a performance against the best and see how it stacked up for the squad going forward into next term. At end of the day, if BHA was to improved we required Prem class in each position - which meant yet more new signings. It was still a work in progress under Potter this season.
*** match report: As anticipated, Albion lost - beaten by worthy champions. But Seagulls scored a goal, albeit they were already two down inside ten minutes... doh! Trossard hit the net just prior to halftime after an overlap on the flank by Lamptey (45min). Reds sowed it up during the second period, while they controlled the game as we toiled until the clock finally ran down. Bizzarely Potter restricted subs to one triple change around time of the second drinks break. Also post restart contests allowed for 5 subs from 9 on the bench in any 3 instances to swap but GP didn't follow Klopp's example with his all-powerful match-day super-twenty. BHA continued to tread water as games came and went, having stole a march on d-z threatened outfits after restart. We had gone thru motions but probably had enough in the tank to struggle towards a 40pt basic target.
stats: shape 433-433, ht 1-2, goals 45-6,8,76, poss 45%-55%, on target 2-7, off target 7-4, corners 6-6,
fouls 7-15, o/s 5-0, yellows 1-4, subs 3-5 (5/9) . MoM - Lamptey . Gate - 0 . Weather - drizzle.
1 Ryan, 2 Lamptey Y, 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 13 Gross (8 Bissouma 72), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper (18 Mooy 72), 10 Mac Allister
(44 Connolly 72), 7 Maupay, 11 Trossard . Subs (5/9) - 27 Button, 22 Montoya, 30 Bernardo, 4 Duffy, 16 Jahanbakhsh, 17 Murray.
Squad - 20 March, 23 Schelotto, 25 Kayal . Injured - 19 Izquiredo, 46 Alzate.
Prem: P34 . W5 D6 L6 . F20 A22 . W3 D6 L8 . F16 A25 . Pt36 Po15 = 1.05pt/gm. Wins = 23.5%, Loss = 41.1%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 32 03 03 . 85 33 52 . 99 1 = 2.60 . 84.2 7.8 - Jurgen Klopp, finish 27/7/20. Champions.
3qtrs: 29 . 27 01 01 . 66 21 45 . 82 1 = 2.82 . 93.1 03.4 PREM SUSPENDED
Hfwy: 19 . 18 01 00 . 47 14 33 . 55 1 = 2.89 . 94.7 00.0
Start: 10 . 09 01 00 . 23 08 15 . 28 1 = 2.80 . 90.0 00.0 - J Klopp.
Champions League: 16 - A Madrid 2-3 (H) 1-0 (A). Group - Napoli 1-1 (H) 2-0 (A), Salzburg 4-3 (H) 0-2 (A), Genk 1-4 (A) 2-1 (H).
EFL Cup: 5th rnd - Villa 5-0 (A), 4th rnd - Arsenal 5pen4 5-5 (H), 3rd rnd - MK Dons 0-2 (A)
FA Cup: Chelsea 2-0 (A) R5, Shrewsbury 1-0 (H) 2-2 (A) R4, Everton 1-0 (H) R3.
Aug: led the div with max points. So far so good, like last term.
Oct: still setting the pace and only dropped two points by end of first quarter Q1.
New Year: way out in front of Prem, last 16 of Chmp Lg and FAC4 via kids team.
March: leading second club by 25pts when PL suspended. Out of Chmp Lg, FAC & EFL Cup.
July: title winners by end of June. Ended 18pts clear, just short of 100pts.

Season8 2nd Premier League (H) Sat 12/1/19 - L 0-1.
The current league leaders visited the Amex a week after Albion had gotten through to FAC4, with a first k-o away victory at Bournemouth - their previous PL nemises. On paper this fixture was a miss-match but perhaps if Seagulls could prevent a drubbing like last term (see season7 below) fans wouldn't feel too bad. And it should be a measure of how far BHA had come to try and establish in this top division during their second season. Chris Hughton had rested several 1st 11 players last week and 'reserves' had scored three goals in the Cup, so he had lots of options available from the team-sheet regarding starters & subs. In the event he went with tried & tested, which on the day was probably the best option.
*** match report: Albion got beat by a penalty after the interval in a match with a single goal score. Seagulls put up a good defensive display throughout but were pretty toothless up front despite a late rally. Ref pointed to the spot when Gross made contact in the area as the striker threw himself down. Button nearly got gloves on the kick as he dived the right way (50min). Hughton responded by hooking Murray & March and inserting Andone & Knockaert to boost attacking forays as Seagulls chased a game on domestic turf (66min). Later Kayal came on for Gross and blue & white pushed up in hope of chance for an equaliser. Everything changes and nothing changes - Liverpool got yet another win and Albion suffered their 3rd top-six defeat in 11 Amex fixtures. Ref came in for booing & chants from Albion fans because he had a mare as far as they were concerned. Hughton said, 'I have no complaints about the penalty but feel the balance of decisions favoured Liverpool. I'm delighted because we ran them so close.' Brighton fans went home disappointed to get nowt but pleased their heroes seemed an ok Prem side at this stage of the season.
Stats; ht 0-0, goal 50, shape 451-433, poss 29%-71%, on target 0-3, off target 5-5, blocks 2-2, o/s 5-0, crosses 14-16, corners 2-7, tackles 11-9, fouls 15-5, yellows 0-0, subs 3-3 . MoM - Locadia . Gate 30,682 ground record, away 2995 . Weather - cold, grey, showers.
27 Button, 22 Montoya, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 20 March (11 Knockaert 66), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 9 Locadia,
13 Gross (7 Kayal 79), 17 Murray (10 Andone 66) . Subs - 23 Steele, 2 Bruno, 14 Balogun, 41 Sanders.
Prem P22 . W5 D3 L3 F15 A12 . W2 D1 L7 F7 A16 . Pt26 Po13 = 1.18pt/gm. Wins = 31.8%, Loss = 45.4%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 30 07 01 . 89 22 67 . 97 2 = 2.55 . 78.9 02.6
3qtrs; 29 . 21 07 01 . 64 15 49 . 70 2 = 2.41 . 72.4 03.4
Hfwy; 19 . 16 03 00 . 43 07 36 . 51 1 = 2.68 . 84.2 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp.
Start; 10 . 08 02 00 . 20 04 16 . 26 2 = 2.60 . 80.0 00.0
Champions League; final - beat Spurs 0-2, s-f - Barca 3-0 (A) 4-0 (H), q-f - Porto 2-0 (H) 1-4 (A), 16 - B Munich 0-0 (H) 1-3 (A).
Group C - Paris SG 3-2 (H) 2-1 (A), Napoli 1-0 (A) 1-0 (H), RS Belgrade 4-0 (H) 2-0 (A).
EFL Cup; 3rd rnd - Chelsea 1-2 (H)
FA Cup; 3rd rnd - Wolves 2-1 (A)
Aug; been inching closer to the real deal under Klopp. His next mission is to actually win something. Are 4 competitons just 3 too many?
October; challenging for leading the div, unbeaten and free scoring. But out of EFL Cup.
New Year; in pole position and although just defeated by City, are true title candidates for sure. Out of FA Cup.
March; in title race with City. Champs Lg q-f.

Season7 1st Premier League (H) 2/12/17 - L 1-5 ~ Murray.
December arrived and Albion were ahead of schedule in the Premier League survival race. Going into this contest against one of the top six elite, Seagulls sat 10th with 17pts and a gap of 7pts between that tally and 18th place. An average of 1.05pt/gm overall would see a target of 40pts being possible. So far this index registered 1.21pt/gm, hence the top ten slot. But reality was expected to bite this month and by New Year at least a 20pts total was required prior to reciprocal fixtures beginning for 2018. 17th place was quite acceptable come May and nobody anticipated BHA getting points off the like of Liverpool anyway. And Brighton had fallen to Man City (H), Arsenal (A) and Man Utd (A) already, with Spurs (A) & Chelsea (A) also to come this month.
*** match report: The result was a catastrophe for Blue and a triumph for Red, as witnessed by a record crowd at the community stadium. Albion gave visitors too much respect from k-o and home & away teams looked reversed. And the game plan went out of the window after half an hour of play all in BHA's half. Reds opened the scoring from a corner with a header (30min). Then they hit us on the counter from our k-o and went two up (31min). In the second period Seagulls opened out but were immediately caught again by a sucker punch straight after after Murray's attempt was blocked (48min). Murray then converted a fortuitous penalty (51min). March & Izquierdo came on for 20 mins and later Schelotto but the damage was done and Albion appeared a spent force. Two late goals added to a miserable afternoon at the Amex for suffering Brighton fans (87, 89min). Hughton said, 'you have to have a level of performance to compete - they gave us a harsh lesson but we were also well below the level we have been.' The reality was that even if Albion had played a blinder they would not have reached the quality & skill set of the away eleven.
Stats; shape 4411-32311, h-t 0-2, goals 51-30,31,48,87,89, poss 43%-57%, on target 2-6, off target 3-3, blocked 1-3, corners 2-2, crosses 13-12, o/s 0-2, tackles 18-14, fouls 8-7, yellows 1-0, subs 3-3 . Gate 30,643 (away 3015).
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno (21 Schelotto), 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert (20 March), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper,
37 Brown (19 Izquierdo), 13 Gross, 17 Murray.
Prem P15 . W4 D5 L6 . F14 A19 . Pt17 Po11 = 1.13pt/gm . Wins = 26.6%, Loss = 40.0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 21 12 05 . 84 38 46 . 75 4 = 1.97 . 55.2 13.1 - Jurgen Klopp. R1 Y44
3qtrs; 29 . 17 09 03 . 67 32 35 . 60 3 = 2.05 . 58.6 10.3
Hfwy; 19 . 09 08 02 . 41 23 18 . 35 4 = 1.84 . 47.3 10.5
Start; 10 . 04 04 02 . 17 16 01 . 16 6 = 1.60 . 40.0 20.0
Aug - faces very stiff competiton to make the top four again. Europe is a further test with regard to depth of the squad as well.
New Year - in 4th and progress in 2 of 3 knockouts.
March - competing for runner-up spot. EFL & FA Cups early exits. Champions League QF.

LIVERPOOL PREVIOUS PREM;
Seasn . W D L . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
22/23 -
21/22 - 28 08 02 . 94 26 68 . 92 2 = 2.42 . 73.6 05.2 - Jurgen Klopp @ 22/5/22
Challenged for top place throughout and it went to the last day before finally resolved. Went for a quad of titles, winning FA & League Cups, runners up in PL & CL.
20/21 - 20 09 09 . 68 42 26 . 69 3 = 1.81 . 52.6 23.6 - Jurgen Klopp @ 24/5/21
Got onto the podium right at the death after a good run of form to challenge for top four when likely adrift.
19/20 - 32 03 03 . 85 33 52 . 99 1 = 2.60 . 84.2 07.8 - Jurgen Klopp. PL SUSPENDED, complete @ 27/7/20. Champions.
Reds became title holders for the very first time in the Prem. Were runaway winners by end of June in this year that the Prem got suspended.
18/19 - 30 07 01 . 89 22 67 . 97 2 = 2.55 . 78.9 02.6 - Jurgen Klopp.
Runners up in Prem with a huge points total, which on many other occasions woulda gotten the title. Winning the Champions League maybe but a consolation.
17/18 - 21 12 05 . 84 38 46 . 75 4 = 1.97 . 55.2 13.1 - Jurgen Klopp.
The engaging German took over two seasons ago with a remit to take Reds forward. It is still a work in progress but his man-management skills appear sound enough.
16/17 - 22 10 06 . 78 42 36 . 76 4 = 2.00 . 57.8 15.7 - Jurgen Klopp.
It was a good campaign when viewed with a backward glance this decade. And so the Klopp revolution gathered momentum.
15/16 - 16 12 10 . 63 50 13 . 60 8 = 1.57 . 42.1 26.3 - Brendan Rodgers & Jurgen Klopp.
The charismatic German coach came in during October and set about taking Reds out of a blue period. Some useful results from knockout action home & away (Eng & Europe) also added to the positive experience.
14/15 - 18 08 12 . 52 48 04 . 62 6 = 1.63 . 47.3 31.5 - Brendan Rodgers.
Reds seemingly returned to type, as a team expected to be top six at least. BR had a tougher campaign and was disappointed in both domestic Cups & Champions League as well.
13/14 - 26 06 06 . 101 50 51 . 84 2 = 2.21 . 68.4 15.7 - Brendan Rodgers.
The Merseyside outfit had a runners-up campaign to remember during recent mediocre times, as Brendan Rodgers upped the ante in his second season.
12/13 - 16 03 09 . 71 43 18 . 61 7 = 1.60 . 42.1 23.6
11/12 - 14 10 14 . 47 40 07 . 52 8 = 1.36 . 36.8 36.8

FA CUP from 11/12; final, 4th rnd, 5th, s-f, 4th, 4th, 4th, 3rd, 5th, 4th, winners, 4th.
LEAGUE CUP; winners, 4th rnd, 3rd, s-f, runners-up, s-f, 3rd, 3rd, q-f, 4th, winners, 4th.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE; nq, nq, nq, group stage, nq, nq, finalists, winners, last 16, q-f, finalists.
EUROPA LEAGUE; nq, last 32, nq, last 32, runners-up, nq, nq, nq, nq, nq, nq.
* * * * * * * * * *

Liverpool - home, Falmer years 11/12.
Season1 (H) 21/9/11 League Cup r3 - L 1-2 ~ Barnes.
Brighton were unbeaten at the Amex for a fantastic start to our inaugral year at Falmer in the Championship. Not just content with heading the league table at end of August, we'd already disposed of Gillingham and Sunderland for super-duper knockout night matches in the Community Stadium. Gates of 16k & 17k for these brilliant opening rounds under floodlights was sure to be bettered once this incredible draw for r3 was announced. Talk about living the dream, although fourteen years of waiting for a state of the art facility was more than enough nightmare for long suffering Albion supporters. Bill Archer promised the earth would move to Waterhall, soon after he sold the Goldstone in that headline grabbing midsummer murder of 1995. Then it was Toads Hole Valley around Xmas, before he tried to chat up McAlpines in 1996, who were already allied with Dick Knight's consortium taking over BHA. He resigned as Chairman, initially kept almost half of shares in our revamped club but also left us homeless from end of April 1997. Go to the Archive tab and select Characters and Falmer, for much more info during the infamous Withdean era. On the night nearly 22k attended - an Amex sell-out.
*** match report: Gus Poyet made several changes to his regular eleven and during the first half Albion were a tad hesitant and fell behind early to slick Prem movement (7min). Reds had several more chances to bury us but could merely strike woodwork. Gus read the riot act at half time and Seagulls responded with a much better second period display. Noone and Buckley began to exploit runs down flanks and suddenly B'ton put Liverpool under pressure in their area. New signing Vicente Rodriguez replaced hamstrung Buckley on the hour mark and performed well on debut. Poyet made a double sub swap with ten minutes to go, introducing all-out attack. Against run of play, Reds doubled the lead from a counterattack (81m). In a frantic climax, Seagulls were awarded a pen when Vicente got tripped and sub Barnes netted. It was a cup tie worthy of knockout stuff and BHA could hold heads high as they exchanged shirts in a full floodlit and atmospheric Amex stad.
Ankergren, Calderon, Greer, Cook, Vincelot, Buckley (Rodriguez), Navarro (Barnes), Bridcutt, Sparrow (LuaLua), Noone, Mackail-Smith.

Seasons 1-6 - no league meetings.
* * * * *

Withdean Era - from 1999 to 2011, no meetings.

Liverpool - Away, Falmer Years:
17/18 - 22/23 Prem, seasons 7-12 . '12 FA Cup, season1.

LIVERPOOL @ home; Anfield.
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . W% L%
22/23 - 06 3 1 . 23 09 14 . 21 10 = 2.10 72.4 . 60.0 10.0 - Jurgen Klopp
21/22 - 15 4 0 . 49 09 40 . 49 2 = 2.57 53.2 . 78.9 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp
20/21 - 10 3 6 . 29 20 09 . 33 3 = 1.73 47.8 . 52.6 31.5 - Jurgen Klopp.
19/20 - 18 1 0 . 52 16 36 . 55 1 = 2.89 55.5 . 94.7 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 17 2 0 . 55 10 45 . 53 2 = 2.78 54.6 . 88.2 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp.
17/18 - 12 7 0 . 45 10 35 . 43 4 = 2.26 57.3 . 63.1 00.0 - Jurgen Klopp.
16/17 - 12 5 2 . 45 18 27 . 41 4 = 2.15 53.9 . 63.1 10.5 - Jurgen Klopp.
15/16 - 08 8 3 . 33 22 11 . 32 8 = 1.68 53.3 . 42.1 15.7 - Brendan Rodgers & Jurgen Klopp.
14/15 - 10 5 4 . 30 20 10 . 35 6 = 1.84 56.4 . 52.6 21.0 - Brendan Rodgers.
13/14 - 16 1 2 . 53 18 35 . 49 2 = 2.57 58.3 . 84.2 10.5 - Brendan Rodgers.

Liverpool v Albion (A) from 17/18: 4-0, 1-0, 2-1, 0-1, 2-2, 3-3 . . W = 1 D = 2 L = 3 . F7 A12
scorers: Dunk, Alzate, Mwepu, Trossard 4 (h-t).
memorable match: Season10 (A) - a clean sheet at Anfield is a rarity to be celebrated.
For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up.

Season12, 6th Premier League (A) Sat 1/10/22 - 3-3 ~ Trossard 3.
After that first usual early season break (this year for Nations League), following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and previous related postponements, the Prem duly resumed. Reds home record is perhaps the strongest over recent elite seasons and to get anything there was regarded a free-hit bonus. Seagulls did ok the last twice under Potter, from five visits to date (see away scroll below), although remaining undefeated for this third time in a row was put up at long odds against. We initially got beat bad there in May '18, tho less so in Aug '18 and next Nov '19 - for three straight knockbacks. A positive turning point was the win of Feb '21 and later parity gained in Oct '21 (seasons 7-11). Liverpool qualified for an unlikely quadruple of trophies last term but maybe ran out of gas attempting to win the PL, CL, FAC & EFLC all in one very intense campaign. Perhaps Albion could somehow take advantage if there was still negative reactions thus far coz Reds hadn't made the best of starts. Following exit of Graham Potter to Chelsea in early Sept, our new head coach Roberto de Zerbi was installed during the interim international break. He didn't speak much English, so was unlikely to understand scouse defamations anyhow. Reds spent 75m by start of the season, getting in one player for bulk of that expenditure.
*** match report: scoring three away from home is a rarity; that Trossard did it at Anfield will go into Albion folklore, on the very first day of 'De Zerbi ball.' Our new head coach's mantra is to attack opposition here, there and everywhere and in the event it paid dividends for a (or should it read; from) kickoff. Trossard bagged a brace inside 20 mins, assisted by Welbeck & March as Seagulls ran amok on Merseyside (4, 17min). Reds hit back with VAR intervention awarding them 'goal stands' status at an o/s flag (33min). Hosts dominated after turnaround, equalised quickly (54min) then led to a Webster og after Sanchez blundered (63min) in a melee. Late in the afternoon Trossard yet again appeared in the right place at the right time and smashed in his third (83min). De Zerbi was very pleased with the performance and especially Trossard - who he believes can increase scoring rates. Brighton fans were entertained by end to end soccer and the only people left feeling a little choked were supporters of Reds. Albion had conceded three times but on balance of this away display, from what effectively was a settled 'Potter team', held up to scrutiny against the big six outfit - well used to serial winning on their turf.
stats: ht 1-2, goals 33,54,63-4,17, 83, poss 54%-46%, on 7-6, off 6-0, o/s 1-0, corners 9-2, fouls 9-13, yellows 1-1, subs 5-3, shape 433-3421
weather sunny . gate: 53,336, 2928 away . MoM: Trossard - hat-trick hero.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman, 5 Dunk, 4 Webster, 7 March, 25 Caicedo, 10 Mac Allister, 30 Estupinan, 13 Gross, 11 Trossard, 18 Welbeck.
subs: 22 Mitoma 65 13, 14 Lallana 76 30, 2 Lamptey 87 11.
bench: 23 Steele (gk), 6 Colwill, 19 Sarmiento, 20 Enciso, 21 Undav, 27 Gilmour.
injured: 15 Moder . ill: 8 Mwepu . squad: 28 Ferguson, 29 van Hecke.
Prem: P7 . W2 D1 L0 . F6 A2 . W2 D1 L1 . F8 A6. Pt14 Po4 = 2.00pt/gm . W = 57.1% L = 14.2%

Season11, 5th Premier League (A) Sat 30/10/21 - D 2-2 ~ Mwepu, Trossard.
Last campaign's record-setting result at Anfield quickly went into Brighton fans folklore, so today was perhaps an exercise in maintaining thoughts that actually we could compete with the best on something like equal terms. BHA powers that be had sold or let go a few from prior Prem terms and not exactly bought big, although appeared to balance books in financial and personnel numbers. This contest marked completion of the first quarter and thus gave an indication as to how rest of the season would pan out. And so far Albion's Prem squad was over achieving big time compared to previous campaigns. At Reds in pre-season Jurgen Klopp had laid out 36m for one player but retained bulk of his squad plus upgrading youngsters, with the previso that quality always counts in the long run. And so far things were going great in second place.
*** match report: Albion came back from two down to go home with a point. Reds scored inside five minutes when opening us up with a long ball and return pass (4min). They went two up with a free header at a cross as Seagulls struggled to get airborn (24min). Just before halftime Mwepu fired in from distance to keep us in the game (41min). After turnaround Potter kept pedal to the mettle, inserting subs and supporting forward movement. Trossard then equalised when assisted by Lallana (65min). The game could have gone either way, remaining of interest to neutrals, exciting for away support, although disappointing for home fans. VAR checks and offsides kept the score down but it was Brighton fans singing at the end. Potter said; our second half performance was really, really good. On balance Albion gave as good as the got, stats also revealing we were not in a one sided contest overall. Those wearing blue & white at Anfield could be proud of supporting a half decent Prem outfit going toe to toe with one of the big six at their place.
Stats: ht 2-1, goals 4,24-41,65, poss 59%-41%, on target 3-6, off target 5-2, blocks 6-1, crosses 23-11, corners 5-3, o/s 1-5,
tackles 10-20, fouls 8-5, yellows 2-2, subs 3-3, shape 433-4231.
weather: sunny . gate: 53,197, away 1872 . MoM: Trossard - lively throughout.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman, 24 Duffy Y, 5 Dunk, 3 Cucurella, 14 Lallana (13 Gross 77), 12 Mwepu, 8 Bissouma (10 Mac Allister 60),
15 Moder (2 Lamptey Y 66), 20 March, 11 Trossard . bench: 23 Steele (gk), 4 Webster, 9 Maupay, 27 Locadia, 28 Roberts, 60 Sarmiento.
squad: 7 Connolly . injured: 17 Alzate, 18 Welbeck, 30 Richards, 33 Burn.
Prem: P10 . W2 D1 L2 . F5 A7 . W2 D3 L0 . F4 A2 . Pt16 Po7 = 1.60pt/gm . W = 40% L = 20%

Season10, 4th Premier League (A) Wed 3/2/21 - W 0-1 ~ Alzate.
Covid restrictions - lockdown 3, T3/4/5 = no fans, (home fans attending @ Tier 2).
Visiting last term's Prem champions would seem, given their historically impressive home record, a basic exercise in damage limitation. Meanwhile Albion had initially gone into this campaign with desire to climb the table well away from regularly occupying bottom six places. That dream might one day be turned into reality by getting bonus points at top six venues, where previously Seagulls had been cannon fodder for those big gun's firepower. Trouble was, maintaining a clean sheet being unlikely, how might we score? Set pieces appeared possible because BHA weren't known as a counter-attacking side with pace to outstrip top class rearguards. Or maybe we'd just get lucky on a particularly bad day for Reds world class quality attack. However they'd only just lost at home for the first time in 69 matches, so there was very little hope for Albion to repeat that extremely rare feat from fortunate last visitors here. Prior to ko, BHA away results to date: 0-3, 4-2, 1-1, 2-1, 1-2, 3-0, 0-0, 2-2, 1-0, 0-1. Graham Potter knew his best eleven but, injuries apart, would he rotate the squad in view of fixture congestion, or go for broke? He therefore elected to make a match of it by putting out a strong side.
*** match report: In the event Albion defied long odds by recording a single goal victory at Anfield. It was an exercise in solid defensive football, without merely parking the bus throughout. In this way visitors had some share of possession and real chances from forays into hosts third of the pitch. It was goalless at halftime and Reds anticipated onslaught duly began after turnaround. However, Albion opened scoring when Alzate finished a fluid move from back to front involving crisp and accurate passes (56min). March later went off injured but Lallana appeared on his old home ground to help visitors to an unlikely result at 90 minutes. Graham Potter was well pleased, the team chuffed to bits and Brighton fans on a high in front of tv, radio, device or other receiver. The extra good news was Albion climbed two places and opened a big 10pt gap to the bottom three. Everybody concerned with blue & white seemed happy next morning, which hadn't been the case generally for much of this campaign. We all took the positives and hopefully it was onwards and upwards until late May.
Stats: ht 0-0, goal 56, poss 63%-37%, on target 1-4, off target 10-9, o/s 0-3, corners 4-3, fouls 12-6, yellows 1-0, subs 3-3, shape 433-541.
Weather: wet.
Team: 26 Sanchez, 3 White, 5 Dunk, 4 Webster, 20 March (14 Lallana 67), 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma, 17 Alzate, 33 Burn, 11 Trossard (29 Zeqiri 87), 9 Maupay, (7 Connolly 83) . Bench: 31 Walton, 61 McGill, 6 Karbownik, 15 Moder, 22 Tau, 54 Weir .
Squad: 16 Jahanbakhsh, 19 Izquierdo, 21 Andone, 24 Propper . Injured: 2 Lamptey, 18 Welbeck, 10 Mac Allister, 34 Veltman . MoM: Bissouma.
Prem: P22 . W1 D6 L4 . F11 A15 . W4 D3 L4 . F13 A14 . Pt24 Po15 = 1.09pt/gm. Wins = 22.7%, Loss = 36.3%

Season9, 3rd Premier League (A) Sat 30/11/19 - L 2-1 ~ Dunk.
A pre-winter measure of how this Seagulls side performed under Graham Potter versus no.1 outfit Reds would likely be determined by the result. Albion had yet to take a point on the road during current and both previous PL terms at all those big northwest venues, so possible (but plainly improbable) nil-nil here should be cause for much celebration. Last term it was a very early seasonal 'backs to the wall' defensive display, as per safety-first strategy of subsequently replaced boss Chris Hughton. But even so, it was now hard to see reshaped BHA setting up as anything other than solid 541 for a kick-off. Brighton fans folklore suggested Potter's style of play was entertaining enough to warrant points away from home. But versus Liverpool, to see an end to end, blow for blow, motd first-up away-goals fest of highlights, would be something else entirely. Our squad was a mix of tried & tested basic PL types from days of yore, plus inexperienced guys from lesser levels at home & abroad. Potter too was still finding feet in this elite, although talked a good pre/post game as befittting his theoretical masters degree out of Leeds Uni. And Tony Bloom had just extended his contract for two more years - to 2025. One way or another BHA physically had to get their act together and target 20pts by the halfway stage at end of December. On paper it appeared probable, meanwhile the squad struggled to get enough goals to procure those points game by game.
*** match report: In the event BHA were actually first up on motd but the final result was same old, same old. Albion went two behind before half an hour and Reds were cruising after a couple of headed goals from set pieces (18 & 24 min). Albion stepped it up during the second period and Potter put on Alzate & Trossard for a bit more offensive action. Then hosts goalie handled outside the area and got sent off. Dunk scored direct from the f-k and suddenly Albion were back in it (79min). Seagulls tried hard to equalise against ten men but could not net from further open play. Potter said, 'we showed personality and courage, We're disappointed to come away with nothing.' BHA got good stats, although name of the game is football and we did have enough chances to put that ball into the old onion bag. Brighton fans could see a different method of play to previous PL seasons but at end of the day, we'd lost again and were no better off than under Hughton's tenure. And still those 5pts to get during December.
Stats; shape 433-4321, h-t 2-0, goals 18,24-76, poss 45%-55%, on target 7-5, off target 5-4, blocks 3-3, corners 4-5, crosses 11-20, o/s 1-6, tackles 12-11 fouls 3-10 yellows 0-0, red 1-0, subs 3-3. Gate 53,319, away 1851 . MoM - Dunk . Weather - fine & cold.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya (46 Alzate 68), 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 18 Mooy, 13 Gross, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 8 Bissouma (11 Trossard 68),
44 Connolly (7 Maupay 77) . Bench; 27 Button, 4 Duffy. 21 Schelotto, 17 Murray.
Squad - 3 Bong, 14 Balogun, 16 Jahanbakhsh . Injured - 19 Izquierdo, 20 March, 30 Bernardo.
Prem P14 . W3 D2 L2 . F10 A8 . W1 D1 L5 . F6 A13 . Pt15 Po15 = 1.07pt/gm. Wins = 28.5%, Loss = 50%

Season8 2nd Premier League (A) Sat 25/8/18 - L 1-0.
Our second away game of the 2nd PL campaign was expected to test the revised 25 man squad to very limits. This in view of the fact we'd been here before merely a few weeks previously (see season7 below). Pay tv coverage put the k-o back to the late Saturday afternoon slot to boot. Chris Hughton had added Martin Montoya, Ali Jahanbakhsh, Yves Bissouma, Bernardo da Silva, Leon Balogun, Florin Adone and homegrown keepers David Button & Jason Steel to the 25 man squad prior to start of the season. Reserve c-d Dan Burn signed on deadline day. The promotion winning U23 group had also been upgraded & revamped, ready now for PL2 div1 fixtures versus elite second squads. On the day Hughton started Balogun (Dunk injured), Montoya (Bruno injured) & Bissouma (tactics) from new arrivals
*** match report: Albion stayed in the game and produced a reasonable display without actually earning a point at the death. An error in midfield got punished when Reds found their striker free and he did the biz (23min). After that floodgates remained closed as visitors hung in there with a robust display of defending with countering. Hughton got tatics spot on and made changes count for good effect as well. A double sub of wingers kept pressure on hosts until the final whistle and Gross came on late too, nearly equalising with a header from distance. Hughton said, 'we were close to coming away with a great result, even though they were the better team. We had a very good chance at the end and it needed their keeper to make a very good save.' Brighton fans were not too unhappy, knowing may rivals would leak goals there, which made this result kinda ok as a second away fail-to-score stat.
Stats; shape 433-4141, h-t 1-0, goals 23, poss 70%-30%, on target 8-2, off target 7-2, blocks 7-2, corners 8-5, crosses 24-11, o/s 1-3,
tackles 22-21 fouls 8-14, yellows 1-1, subs 3-3 . Gate 50,752, away 1852.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya, 4 Duffy, 14 Balogun, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert (16 Jahanbakhsh 74), 6 Stephens, 8 Bissouma (13 Gross 80),
24 Propper, 20 March (9 Locadia 74), 17 Murray . Bench; 27 Button, 29 Suttner, 30 Bernardo, 7 Kayal.
Prem P3 . W1 D0 L0 . F3 A2 . W0 D0 L2 . F0 A4 . Pt3 Po12 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 33%, Loss = 67%

Season 7 1st Premier League (A) Sunday 13/5/18 - L 4-0.
Yes folks, we had at last reached the final fixture of Seagulls very first Prem season. And what a time to report that BHA had already survived in the PL with 2 games to go, after a hard fought campaign of 38 matches. The worst position that Seagulls could finish in was 15th, so in a way expectations on day1 had been exceeded to finish 17th with 38points - ie 1pt/gm average. Credit to Chris Hughton and his regular eleven & subs who overall pretty much stayed ahead of that basic points index all season long. In fact the only month Albion were found in the bottom three places was right at the start during August. We got as high as 8th in November but generally were safely in mid-table and kept a healthy gap above the drop zone - bar a slight glitch in January. So now the team were within sight of the beach, with flip-flops added to contents of the sports bag.
*** match report: In the event Albion looked like a beach team compared to a rampant Reds outfit heading for the Champions League. Seagulls were in a flap from the word go and never carried anything of a threat to opposition. Goals against went in regularly and but for Ryan, visitors could have been beaten by eight or more. Even Ref helped a little when denying a pen at the kop end as the home crowd howled for the opener. It was all one way traffic throughout and BHA defence was working hard just to stay still. Most blue & white shirts couldn't live with the pace & skill of opponents who opened us up like a can of sand worms. Chris Hughton said, 'our season has shown more good than bad. It's just a shame that we haven't finished in the way we would have liked. They caused us so many problems. The disappointment was we didn't keep possession well enough.' Brighton fans tried to take positives from the outcome but the fact remained that away form wasn't near good enough in the final analysis. But at this moment BHA had survived in the PL this term and to some extent was an achievement in being on the right side of fine lines for the division. Albion ended 7pts clear of the drop which was an excellent benchmark to take into their second season.
Stats; shape 4411-4231, ht 2-0, goals 26,40,53,85, poss 72%-28%, on target 11-1, off target 5-0, corners 7-3, o/s 1-1,
fouls 3-6, yellows 0-0, subs 3-3 . Gate 52,752 (away 5k).
1 Ryan, 21 Schelotto, 22 Duffy (18 Goldson 71), 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 11 Knockaert,
7 Kayal (13 Gross 57), 20 March, 25 Locadia (17 Murray 57).
Prem P38 . W9 D13 L16 . F34 A54. Pt40 Po15 = 1.05pt/gm . Wins = 23.6%, Loss = 42.1%
* * * * * * * * * *

Liverpool - away, Falmer years 11/12.
Season1 (A) 19/2/12 FA Cup r5 - L 6-1 ~ LuaLua.
Previously, Brighton were fortunate to get past non-league Wrexham on penalties, after a replay in r3 but then battled hard to defeat Newcastle in r4 at the Amex. Travelling fans snapped up 6k tickets for Anfield, where Albion were able to turn out in home kit. Blue & white devoted knew it was a big ask to go k-o super Reds but hey, it was one helluva weekend away. Gus Poyet wanted his team to stick to tried and tested methods that had been very successful before at League1 level and also now in the Championship, where we weren't far off play-off places. He was keen on variations of 433, with one or two wingers employed and usually a sitting m-f player. Gus tended to tinker with starting elevens and in all honesty, would probably pick one totally different in 2012 to original squad members from back in summer.
*** match report: After five minutes Albion were behind and facing a drubbing when failing to mark at a corner. But Seagulls got back into the tie when LuaLua levelled from a rocket f-k from down range (17min). Prior to h-t visitors had given good account of themselves but fell behind again when a defensive header rebounded off Bridcutt (44m). Gus sent Noone on immediately after the break. The second period proved to be a disaster in making as giant-killing dreams turned into nightmare. Liverpool scored four more times (57, 85), or rather we netted two more own goals (71, 75) to become FA record breakers. They were all over us like a rash and even when it struck defenders, the ball went goalwards as if by magic. Poyet put two subs in for last twenty mins, going three in rearguard but we kinda fell apart. Brezovan had a mare but actually saved a pen and the follow-up, by three red-shirts hungry to get on the lengthening score sheet. It was certainly a day to live long in memory - if only for the wrong reasons regarding that hammering on Merseyside.
Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, Dunk, El-Abd (Vicente), Bridcutt, Navarro, Barnes, Buckley (Noone), Vokes, LuaLua.

Seasons 1-6 - no league visits.
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Withdean era, 1999 to 2011 - no visits to Anfield.