Liverpool Knock Brighton Out of EFL Cup
Liverpool beat Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
The Reds won 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Harvey Elliott.
Neal Maupay scored a late consolation for Brighton, but it was not enough to prevent Liverpool from advancing to the quarter-finals.
The victory was Liverpool's first in the EFL Cup since 2012, and it will give them confidence ahead of their Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday.
Brighton, meanwhile, will be disappointed to have been knocked out of the competition, but they can take heart from their performance against a strong Liverpool side.
Liverpool dominated the match from the start, and they took the lead in the 21st minute when Firmino headed home a cross from Andy Robertson.
Elliott doubled Liverpool's lead in the 58th minute with a fine strike from outside the area.
Maupay pulled a goal back for Brighton in the 81st minute, but it was too little too late for the home side.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was pleased with his team's performance, and he praised their attitude and intensity.
"We played a really good game," Klopp said.
"We were aggressive, we were intense, and we created a lot of chances.
"We deserved to win the game, and I'm really happy with the performance.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was disappointed with the result, but he admitted that Liverpool were the better team on the night.
"We played against a very good team," De Zerbi said.
"They were better than us, and they deserved to win the game.
"We will learn from this defeat, and we will come back stronger.