KAORU MITOMA ripped the FA Cup from Liverpool’s grasp with a sensational stoppage-time winner for rampant Brighton.
The Japanese international struck right at the death with an unstoppable 92nd minute shot into the top corner to pile even more pressure on the struggling Merseysiders.
And Jurgen Klopp must be wondering how he stops the rot after a ninth defeat of the season left his team deep in the doldrums.
The visitors had been fortunate to get away with a blatant foul on the edge of the area by Ibrahima Konate which appeared to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity to Alexis Mac Allister.
But Roberto De Zebri’s unflappable Seagulls refused to settle for an Anfield replay and were full value for their place in the fifth round draw.
Yet Liverpool could have been ahead as early as the fourth minute when Naby Keita set up Mo Salah for a shot which was blocked by Adam Webster before the Egyptian’s follow-up was hooked off the line by Lewis Dunk.
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And it was clear right from the off that the visitors were not going to just sit back and allow Brighton to dictate the pace like they had done when they last visited the Amex two weeks ago.
But those attacking intentions also left them vulnerable to the counter attack and they were fortunate not to fall behind when Andy Robertson was caught out of position after 15 minutes.
The full-back’s absence allowed Solly March to race into the vacant channel before delivering a low cross for Evan Ferguson’s low shot to draw a goal-line clearance from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool were again struggling to cope with the pace and trickery of Mitoma, whose recent emergence was behind the club’s recent decision to allow Leandro Trossard to join Arsenal.
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The Japan international looked a threat every time he received the ball and one mazy run and exchange of passes with Ferguson was only halted by a full-stretch save from Alisson.
Liverpool, though, kept throwing men forward and should have been ahead when Harvey Elliott’s 25th-minute through ball sent Salah bearing down on goal.
But with only keeper Jason Steele to beat, Salah uncharacteristically dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Yet Brighton failed to heed that warning and were finally undone by the same Liverpool combination five minutes later.
This time it was Salah who was the provider, sliding in a low cross for Elliott to burst into the box and beat Steele with an unerring shot into the far corner.
Not so long ago that goal would have been enough to see off a Brighton team who were notorious for dominating possession without ever finishing their good approach work.
But those days are long gone and within nine minutes of falling behind they were back on level terms.
Alexander-Arnold’s clearing header from Mac Allister’s cross dropped invitingly for Tariq Lamptey to try his luck from the edge of the area but his shot still needed a massive deflection off skipper Dunk to wrong-foot Alisson.
After such a breathless first-half, it was hardly surprising that the relentless pace dropped after the break as both teams tried to find an opening.
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Brighton thought they had achieved that aim when Mitoma’s magnificent outside-of-the-boot cross picked out March right in front of goal.
But Alisson threw himself at the midfielder’s feet and was able to pull off a save which the travelling Liverpool fans thought would be enough to secure an Anfield replay until Mitoma’s last-gasp intervention.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
