"Slot" reveals two reasons why Liverpool lost to Brighton, delivering sharp comments ahead of the final seven matches for the UCL spot.
On 21 March 2026 GMT+7, Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, spoke after the English Premier League game in which they lost 1-2 away to Brighton & Hove Albion. Liverpool remain 5th on the Premier League table with 49 points, missing the chance to overtake Aston Villa, who have 51 points and hold 4th place.
Arne Slot explained two reasons for Liverpool's defeat to Brighton, citing partly the impact of losing their key striker Hugo Ekitike, who got injured early and was substituted by Curtis Jones in the 8th minute. He also admitted that Brighton played better in the second half.
The Liverpool manager said, "The first half was very balanced. It was damaging for us to lose two main forwards we have: Alexander Isak was not on the pitch, and Hugo Ekitike had to leave after just 1 or 2 minutes, which was definitely not beneficial."
"Especially when you consider how well Hugo played on Wednesday (in the 4-0 UCL win over Galatasaray). The first half was even, but in the second half Brighton were the better team on the field."
"(Regarding Ekitike's injury and his visibly disappointed reaction) Both the players and fans know there are only 8 games left to secure Champions League football, so every match you miss out on is very frustrating."
"His having to leave the pitch and not being able to help the team is just a bit of bad luck. It's not that he has to rest for three months, but it's still bad enough that he couldn't continue. It's disappointing for him and for us."
"(This is Liverpool's 10th loss this season) Clearly, we have dropped many points after playing in Europe. I've tried to explain several times why that is, but today we have to credit Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch."
"(Regarding the last 7 games to chase a UCL spot) What I think is, you don't necessarily need 24 points to qualify, and I hope I'm right because now we cannot get 24 points anymore. We keep trying; in the second half, we almost scored, but they came close to a third goal more than we did to a second. Unfortunately, after a week like this, it wasn't enough."
"(Pressure to finish the season strongly) At Liverpool, there is always pressure on me and the players. That's normal. We've reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, but in the league, we must ensure we ultimately qualify for the UCL."
"Even though I don't like that we lost today, playing away at Brighton is always difficult and will remain so as long as they keep bringing in good players."
"But there are other games where we should have earned more points, like against Spurs last week. That is more unacceptable, but even when visiting Brighton, a club like Liverpool should have gotten a better result."