Liverpool player ratings vs Brighton: Mohamed Salah ghosts again! Seagulls condemn Reds to three-game winless run as title hangover continues

Liverpool twice surrendered the lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Monday, making it three games in a row without a win for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai put the Reds in the ascendancy in the first half, but the Seagulls fought back each time with Yasin Ayari and substitutes Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinselwood capitalising on the apparent hangover Arne Slot's men are struggling with.

A slick move from the Reds broke the deadlock just nine minutes in. It all started with a long pass from Dominik Szoboszlai to Mohamed Salah, who knocked it into Conor Bradley's path. The young full-back did an excellent job evading the Brighton defenders to get close to the goal before cutting back for Harvey Elliott to tap in.

Bradley had the opportunity to get a goal of his own in the 22nd minute when Federico Chiesa worked the ball to him in the box, though his shot missed the target.

Brighton came close to levelling just before the half-hour mark when a dangerous cross found Danny Welbeck deep in the Liverpool danger area, but he was unable to steer it past Alisson. The equaliser came shortly afterwards when Brajan Gruda knocked the through to Yasin Ayari to tuck into the net.

Just before the break, Szoboszlai had Liverpool in front again, pulling off a surprise free-kick routine with Elliott and then lashing in a beautiful effort from the side of the penalty area, much to the shock of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The visitors should have been 3-1 up shortly after half-time when Cody Gakpo broke through and squared to Mohamed Salah, but the Premier League's top scorer missed the target. Brighton almost punished them later on when Welbeck found his way through, only to see his shot was blocked by Alisson.

The punishment came in the 69th minute when Mitoma, four minutes after coming on the bench, fed Welbeck in the box and was there to pounce on the rebound after the English forward's shot was saved, with the Japan star blasting it into the ground and in.

It was another substitute who grabbed the winner for Brighton, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring from close range after a low cross from Matt O'Riley in the 85th minute.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Amex Stadium...