Kicking off a double-header of head-to-heads, Brighton Hove Albion and Liverpool clash in the fourth round of the EFL Cup at the Amex, a few days before also crossing paths in the Premier League. The Reds got the defence of their crown off to a flying start with a 5-1 crushing of West Ham United in round three, while Fabian Hurzeler’s team edged a five-goal thriller with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
En route to winning their final trophy of the Jurgen Klopp era, Liverpool taught West Ham a footballing lesson in a 5-1 quarter-final drubbing in the EFL Cup, and Arne Slot’s men remarkably repeated that trick a little over nine months later this time around.
The historical omens therefore favour a side that has not lost a single EFL Cup fixture since December 2022, and that emphatic success was the third of eight successive victories for the reigning champions across all competitions, as Slot rips up the history books for Liverpool.
However, Liverpool’s 100% away record under the Dutchman came to an end on Sunday evening, although their gripping 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal – where they came back from a goal down twice to steal a share of the spoils – should have had the feeling of one point gained rather than two dropped.
However, Brighton Hove Albion have an EFL Cup monkey to get off their back this week, as they have been beaten in each of their last five fourth-round games in the tournament – including three in a row from 2020-21 to 2022-23 – and have not been past this point since reaching the 1978-79 quarter-finals.
Brighton Hove Albion applaudable Amex record against Liverpool may stand them in good stead, though, as they have avoided defeat in each of their last three home matches versus the Reds – including a 2-1 FA Cup victory in January 2023 – although the Merseyside giants triumphed 2-1 at Anfield in March 2024 during their most recent battle.
• Full Match 720p 50fps : 1fichier Mega PixD Swiss GoFile