IBIZA-dazed and beach-soaked, Arne Slot’s champions were given a shock by the sea.
Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood stepped off the bench to score an 87th-minute winner in a five-goal comeback thriller at the Amex.
It left Liverpool boss Slot with another sore head, having spent the last week boogying and boozing in Ibiza to celebrate being crowned Prem kings nearly a month ago.
The Reds squad also enjoyed an end-of-season jolly in the Middle East – and as their winless run stretched to three games, you can safely say they are well and truly still on the beach.
Conor Bradley strutted his stuff in front of unused sub and Real Madrid-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold with a beautiful ninth-minute assist for Harvey Elliott to open the scoring.
And Dominik Szoboszlai scored an unintentional worldie to regain the lead after Yasin Ayari’s 32nd minute equaliser, only for substitute Kaoru Mitoma to level again in the 69th minute.
The Japanese international had only entered the pitch four minutes earlier but he was outdone by Hinshelwood whose goal came 78 SECONDS after his introduction.
VAR did its best to stifle Hinshelwood’s mad celebrations for a tight offside, but the eighth-placed Seagulls are remarkably still dreaming of Europe heading into the final day, still needing Chelsea to finish seventh and win the Europa Conference League
Since clinching the title at home to Tottenham on April 27, Liverpool have lost to Chelsea and drawn to Arsenal, but Slot continued to gamble with his selection choices.
Skipper Virgil van Dijk was dropped to the bench, not starting a Prem game for the first time this season, meaning Mohamed Salah started a Liverpool game as captain for the first time.
Yet the early signs were that the visitors were right up for this one. Cody Gakpo cut inside and brushed Bart Verbruggen’s left post with a whipped, curling effort.
That was until Brighton started to turn the screw and do what they have become brilliant at under Fabian Hurzeler – dominate proceedings and create chances without scoring.
Bradley in particular – a young man already famous at Anfield for wiping out Kylian Mbappe – was being given the run around down the right by Simon Adingra.
But Brighton were soon punished for their lack of cutting edge as Szoboszlai’s diagonal was volleyed down the line by Salah for Bradley.
The Northern Irishman proved he has the guile as well as grit, nut-megging Pervis Estupinan and jinking his hips to send Adam Webster for a hot dog and slid in Elliott to tap home.
“There’s only one Conor Bradley” the away end sung. Another dagger to the heart of Alexander-Arnold, and an unwelcome reminder that his beloved Scousers have found a new hero.
When he was not being pressed and panicked by Brighton’s energetic wingers, Bradley was enjoying himself, coming close with a goal of his own moments later, side-footing just wide.
The hosts did not lose faith. Danny Welbeck should have buried a header from an Adingra cross.
Slot was pacing, and Ayari finally made it count after a lovely back-to-front move. Welbeck laid off for Gruda whose lob over a static Liverpool defence was cooly converted.
Was the partying catching up with the champions? It was all getting a bit sloppy until Szoboszlai stepped up to shock the home fans – and most of his teammates.
A harmless free-kick routine had Elliott tee up the Hungarian. Given acres of space, he knuckleballed a shot – or cross? – from the right of the box over Verbruggen and into the side-netting.
His muted celebration and embarrassed smirk said it all. Slot reacted by putting his hands on his head in disbelief. Deliberate or not, Liverpool were back in control.
Not that Brighton believed that. They continued to batter their opponent with admirable bravery. Welbeck had a low-struck free-kick palmed away by Alisson.
The attack, attack, attack chants continued after Salah’s uncharacteristic 54th-minute sitter from seven yards out, brilliantly made by Gakpo’s swashbuckling run down the left.
Alisson continued his personal mission to deny Welbeck an 11th Prem goal of the season but for substitute Mitoma to pounce on a rebound.
The Japanese star had only been on the pitch four minutes, yet provided a killer instinct his teammates had been lacking.
Another pair of Hurzeler-inspired subs brought about the winner – Matt O’Riley’s ball across the six-yard box tapped in by Hinshelwood. The Beach Boys got one over the boys on the beach.
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