Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp considers it refreshing to see teams like Brighton, Brentford and Fulham upset the Premier League's "hierarchy" following the Reds' humbling defeat on the South Coast on Saturday.
Roberto de Zerbi's side claimed the latest scalp of what has been a remarkable Premier League season so far, just days after Fulham defeated Chelsea in the West London derby. It means heading into the midpoint of the season the table looks slightly unfamiliar with Newcastle, Fulham and Brighton all occupying places in the top eight and ahead of both Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter's sides.
Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's North London Derby, Redknapp said: "It’s been a brilliant season with that Brighton, Fulham, Brentford are doing, they’re upsetting the hierarchy and it’s what you want to see.
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"I think there’s a little bit of, the World Cup has disrupted things, but teams are also getting better.
"It’s tough to go away and get three points right now - you can see what happened to Liverpool yesterday, Brighton were so much better and they wanted it more, and they’ve also got a lot of quality in their team."
A brace from Solly March and a late strike from former Manchester United and England striker Danny Welback doomed the Reds to their sixth Premier League defeat of what has quickly escalated into a campaign to forget for Klopp's side. Such a defeat means that Liverpool now find themselves ten points of fourth-placed Manchester United, with both sides having played 18 fixtures each this season.
However, there is no respite for Klopp's men who face a quick turnaround after Saturday's embarrassment as they travel to the West Midlands to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in their FA Cup third round replay, before hosting Chelsea in the Premier League next weekend.
If they are unable to resurrect their league form between now and May, it would be the first time in seven seasons that Liverpool have been unable to qualify for the Champions League via the Premier League.
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