Roberto De Zerbi chuffed after immediate Brighton demand pays off, as Trossard makes damning Liverpool claim
Brighton forward Leandro Trossard produced a scintillating performance at Anfield as his side earned a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.
The Belgium international was able to turn on the style in Roberto de Zerbi’s Premier League debut. The Italian manager replaced Graham Potter during the international break and kicked off his tenure with a memorable draw.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk boss watched his side go 2-0 up as Trossard bagged a 17-minute brace. However, Brighton’s advantage was soon extinguished as Roberto Firmino came up with a double of his own.
To make matters worse, Adam Webster’s own goal put the hosts 3-2 ahead. Despite this, Brighton never lost hope and secured the draw with Trossard completing his hat-trick in the 83rd minute.
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi told BBC Sport: “A crazy game.
“I am happy and proud for my players and my club. There was a possibility to win the game but Liverpool is a fantastic team. I knew before the game it could be difficult and it was very difficult.
“Of course the point for us is really important because Liverpool at the end of the day is Liverpool but we had a lot of chances to score the goals and if we had won the game I wouldn’t have felt like we had stolen anything here.
“In that moment I didn’t think we had to win the game. It is 90 minutes plus additional time at Anfield.”
De Zerbi then claimed he texted Trossard during the international break, asking the lively forward to up his goals output.
Trossard clearly took note and responded with a hattrick at the first time of asking.
De Zerbi added: “When [Trossard] was in the national team I sent a message to him and I told him he needs to increase the number of his goals and I think he made me happy!”
Brighton could’ve scored even more – Trossard
Brighton’s heroics at Anfield maintained their fine start to the Premier League season. The Seagulls closed out the day in the top four, having amassed 14 points from their opening seven games.
Hat-trick star Trossard was pleased with his team’s performance and hailed his ‘passionate’ new coach. He also claimed even more goals than the three they scored could’ve been put past Liverpool’s suspect defence.
The Belgium international told BBC Sport: “Obviously it’s always nice if you can score but especially three at Anfield.
“We’re disappointed not to get a clean sheet but it’s good to get a point here. It’s always tough.
“We could have scored more of course, especially if you are 2-0 up but at the end I think we should be happy with a point. It was a great performance from us.
“I love all fixtures but obviously this is a big game so you want to show yourself in the best possible way. Hopefully I can carry this form on.
“[Roberto De Zerbi] tried to work a lot already this week on the technical stuff. You could see how passionate he is and I think we will have some good times with him.”
Brighton will now turn their attention to Tottenham, who endured a 3-1 defeat in Saturday’s North London derby.
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