Liverpool have lost at Anfield for the second Premier League game in a row.The Reds entered the game with the pressure of matching Manchester City who had secured their 13th consecutive win in all competitions with a 2-0 victory against Burnley.And while the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion might have looked easy on paper, Jurgen Klopp's men have inexplicably struggled against the Premier League's basement teams this season.

Liverpool's inconsistent form

It's remarkable to think that a team with wins at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on their record in 2020/21 have been forced to settle for draws against West Bromwich Albion and Fulham.

That's not to mention a four-game period over the New Year in which Liverpool failed to score a single Premier League goal and suffered 1-0 defeats to Southampton and Burnley.

As a result, it was frustratingly unsurprising that Liverpool looked blunt and bland for great swathes of their clash with the Seagulls on Merseyside, limping their way to half-time at 0-0.

Alzate scores for Brighton

And true to the attacking woes that saw them struggling in late December and early January, the Reds' inability to open the scoring at Anfield left the door wide open for Graham Potter's men.

Therefore, there was a gut-wrenching inevitability to Brighton taking the lead with Steven Alzate bundling the ball home after Solly March's cross caused carnage in the penalty area.

There was nothing that Caoimhin Kelleher, who was deputising for the under-the-weather Alisson Becker, could have done to stop Alzate notching his first Premier League goal of the season.

Liverpool huff and puff

And the response from Liverpool was by no means immediate with the Premier League champions trudging as deep as the 70th minute without registering a single shot on target.

In fact, it was actually Brighton who came closest to scoring the second goal of the game with Kelleher needed to make some crucial saves to deny Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard.

Man City gain the upper hand

And with Liverpool not warming the hands of Seagulls shot-stopper Robert Sánchez until the final 15 minutes, the Merseysiders slumped to their second consecutive league defeat at Anfield.

The gutting result means that Liverpool trail title favourites Manchester City by seven points, which would be a massive blow even if Pep Guardiola's men didn't have a game in hand.

But if the Citizens join Liverpool on 22 games played with another win for their collection, then you really have to wonder whether Klopp would be able to overhaul 10 points between now and May...