Report: Hurzeler admits Brighton struggled in Liverpool's 'wild' Anfield atmosphere

Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton team set a lively pace in the Premier League clash at Anfield and dominated the first half. Ferdi Kadioglu's stunning strike in the 14th minute gave Brighton a deserved lead, reflecting their early control. But Liverpool, known for their resilience at home, staged a quick comeback after the break, scoring twice in three minutes through Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah to secure a 2-1 win.

It was Brighton's second defeat against Liverpool in a week, having also lost to a heavily rotating Reds side in the League Cup on Wednesday night. Despite the defeat, Hurzeler expressed his belief that Brighton's performance was enough to secure a victory, particularly given their dominance in the first half.

“At the end of the day, football is always about results,” remarked Hurzeler. “We need results for the process and we need to understand how to get results. On the other hand, the performance was good enough to easily win this game.”

Anfield atmosphere and Liverpool's second-half recovery

Hurzeler admitted Anfield's familiar atmosphere played a crucial role in the game, affecting his players' confidence and composure during Liverpool's resurgence. After a controlled first-half performance, Brighton found it difficult to maintain their intensity and concentration while Liverpool upped the ante.

“There were two or three moments in the second half where we weren’t precise enough, we lost 50:50 duels and were perhaps influenced a little by the atmosphere,” noted Hurzeler. “It’s so important to experience and learn these things in order to get the result you deserve in the end.”

The Brighton manager went on to joke that solving the “Anfield problem” may require an unusual solution. “We can solve this by calling Jürgen (Klopp) and asking him!” Hurzeler joked. “It's a hard moment, I've only experienced it on TV before, but now I've experienced it myself.”

The Anfield atmosphere has long been a topic of discussion, with many managers acknowledging its unique intensity and impact on visiting teams. Liverpool fans create a “wild environment,” as Hurzeler described it, and he believes his players were affected at crucial moments when composure was most needed.

Fight with luck and precision in key moments

Aside from crowd influence, Hurzeler cited Brighton's lack of precision and some moments of misfortune as reasons for their defeat. After the break, Liverpool took advantage of the loose balls and took advantage of any hesitation from Brighton. Although Hurzeler felt his team defended well and limited Liverpool's clear-cut chances, small mistakes proved costly.

“Then Liverpool’s dominance became greater and they had more crosses from outside the penalty area. They didn't have much of a chance; In general we defended quite well, but we have to take responsibility for not playing as precisely as we did in the first half,” said Hurzeler.

According to Hurzeler, luck also seemed to benefit Liverpool. “They saw the cross for their first goal, luck was on their side,” he noted. “If you want to win at Anfield you need a bit of luck and you also need a referee to give you 50-50 draws and we didn’t have that in the second half.”

Brighton's way forward amid difficult results

Hurzeler faces a challenging period as Brighton have experienced a series of difficult results. After a draw against Wolves in which they blew a 2-0 lead and a League Cup defeat to Liverpool, Brighton have now played three games and have just one point to show for their efforts. For a club with ambitions to compete for European places, this run of success is a severe test of their resolve.

“We are a club with ambitions and we have to get results from games like this,” emphasized Hurzeler. “It's the third bad experience in a week. We gave away a 2-0 lead against Wolves, we played a very good game against Liverpool at the Carabao, and again today, but it’s three games and only one point.”

Despite the recent setbacks, Hurzeler remains confident that his team will learn from these experiences and refine the elements needed to secure points in such important games. Playing at Anfield can be a steep learning curve for many teams and Hurzeler acknowledged the lessons his players learn from these situations.

The Brighton manager will no doubt be looking to put these hard-learned lessons to use as the Seagulls look to regain their footing and return to winning ways in the coming games.