Graham Potter's tactics for Liverpool are an easy target for pundits like Graeme Souness

Much is made of Potter's preference to play from the back and at times this season it has made Albion vulnerable. It's a high-risk strategy and one loose touch or one stray pass and goalkeeper Maty Ryan is completely exposed.

It happened twice in the opening minutes of Wednesday night's entertaining encounter against the Premier League champions. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are one the finest to grace the division, not only in terms of the football they play but in their intensity and sheer desire to retrieve the ball in dangerous areas.

Liverpool have now won 30 of their 34 Premier League games this season and are closing in on Manchester City's 100-point Premier League landmark.

Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted after the match that they know how Brighton play and it was a deliberate ploy to force Albion into mistakes. It worked to devastating effect.

On six minutes the impressive Naby Keita nicked the ball from Davy Propper and Mo Salah then did what he does best and slotted the ball effortlessly beyond Ryan.

Two minutes later Adam Webster galloped into midfield and overran the ball. Liverpool countered and Henderson fired home a delicious long range effort that curled away from Ryan's outstretched hand and into the net. 2-0 to Liverpool and the game seemed all but over inside 10 minutes.

Potter immediately took full responsibility to shield Propper and Webster but the first goal was simply a basic error from Propper - regardless of whether you want your team to play from the back or not.

Propper is a Dutch international and normally one of Albion's most assured and composed midfielders and no doubt accepted the blame.

Webster has had a few wobbles this season but he's also a £24m defender and plays ahead of Shane Duffy because he's able to bring the ball out from the back. Last night he overran it slightly and Liverpool's punishment was ruthless.

Graeme Souness, speaking on Sky Sports, called Potter's tactics naive and Potter's response to that was quite funny. "I've been called naive many times in my life but still, here I am coaching in the Premier League!"

Potter's tactics are an easy target but what's the alternative against a team as good as Liverpool?...continuously bang long and hopeful first time balls up top for Neal Maupay to chase?

Potter did the right thing to protect his players in the post match interviews but ultimately they were both individual mistakes.

Brighton's tactics have been quite refreshing and brave this season and it was good to see Brighton set-up to have a go at Liverpool. What was also impressive was the response when they were 2-0 down.

Many teams would have folded and it could easily have been four or five for the champions. But that same style of football that often gets criticised was the same football that almost clawed Brighton back into the match.

After they handed them a two-goal start, Brighton attacked with pace and purpose and Liverpool found it extremely hard to deal with. The goal to make it 2-1 was a beauty and came from fast attacking football.

The cross from 19-year-old Tariq Lamptey was finished expertly by Leandro Trossard for his fifth of the season but Albion could quite easily have scored before then with good chances from Trossard and Maupay.

Dan Burn missed a great opportunity after the break and had the defender adjusted his feet slightly quicker it may well have been 2-2.

Salah though scored his second and Liverpool departed with the three points but they knew they had been in a game.

Brighton have been pragmatic at times and proved they can grind out points especially away at Wolves, Sheffield United and Norwich but fundamentally Potter wants his team to play.

It's that style that helps to attract the best young talent to the club such as Lamptey, Maupay and Trossard.

Man City, who battered Newcastle 5-0 last night, are next at the Amex this Saturday but don't expect Albion to change their style.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton: In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes