BRIGHTON: Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool on Monday to leave the Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title.
Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the Amex Stadium.
Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before the interval, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma levelled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch.
Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham on April 27.
The Reds have lost at Brighton and Chelsea and squandered a two-goal lead in a draw with Arsenal since their record-equalling 20th English crown was confirmed
They can now look forward to receiving the Premier League trophy in Sunday’s season finale against FA cup winners Crystal Palace at Anfield before an open-top bus parade through the city 24 hours later.
Slot had admitted that motivating the champions for the final two matches of the season was a tricky task and his fears were confirmed by this sloppy display.
Slot’s players had a celebratory trip to Dubai this week and only returned to training on Friday, while the Reds boss was seen partying in Ibiza for several days, as they soaked in a title victory secured in April.
“Did you see me on social media!” Slot said with a laugh in reply to a question about how focused he had been on the Brighton game.
After being given a guard of honor by Brighton’s players before kick-off, Liverpool initially showed signs of rebuking the doubters who claimed their minds were elswhere.
Ahead of his widely-expected move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the close-season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench for a second successive game.
Conor Bradley featured at right-back instead and showed why he is a contender to replace Alexander-Arnold with his role in Liverpool’s ninth minute opener.
When Mohamed Salah rolled a pass to Bradley, he shifted gears with a dynamic burst into the Brighton area before clipping a precise pass toward Elliott, who slotted home from close-range.
The goal meant Liverpool had scored in every away game of a league season for the first time in their history.
Bradley’s attacking runs had more than a touch of Alexander-Arnold about them, but his finishing wasn’t up to scratch when he took Federico Chiesa’s pass and fired wide from 10 yards.
Ayari grabbed Brighton’s eye-catching equalizer in the 32nd minute.
The Sweden midfielder eluded Bradley and drilled a fine low finish past Alisson Becker from the edge of the area after Brajan Gruda’s lofted pass prised open the Liverpool defense.
Liverpool regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Szoboszlai caught out Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen with a swerving strike from wide on the right flank that whistled into the top corner.
Szoboszlai’s bemused grin as he celebrated suggested the midfielder’s effort might have been a miscued cross rather than a shot.
Brighton went close twice at the start of the second half as Alisson clawed away Danny Welbeck’s free-kick and kept out Gruda’s 20-yard blast.
Salah was captaining Liverpool for the first time in the Premier League to mark his 300th appearance in the competition.
But the Egypt forward missed an open goal when he flicked Cody Gakpo’s cross wide from five yards.
It was a costly mistake from Salah as Brighton equalized in the 69th minute.
Welbeck’s shot was pushed out by Alisson and Japan winger Mitoma hammered in the rebound.
Hinshelwood completed Brighton’s thrilling comeback in the 85th minute, the substitute slotting home from Matt O’Riley’s cross.
Liverpool rocked by Brighton’s late fightback
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Liverpool rocked by Brighton’s late fightback
Football’s return to Syrian pitches brings fanfare — and friction
RIYADH: Just 10 days after the first anniversary of Syria’s Liberation Day, and one week after the historic performance of the country’s football team at the 2025 Arab Cup — where they reached the quarterfinals — domestic football returned as the Syrian Premier League kicked off its new season.
While league football has continued intermittently since a one-year suspension in 2011, this season represents a notable shift.
For the first time since 2017, the competition features 16 teams playing a full round-robin format — a return to structural normality after years of disrupted campaigns, withdrawals and operational challenges caused by conflict and deteriorating infrastructure.
Foreign players have also returned in significant numbers. A total of 25 overseas players are registered across the 16 clubs in what is now known as the “Prime TV” Syrian Premier League, following the broadcaster’s acquisition of domestic broadcasting rights for the season.
Yet despite the sense of renewal, the league’s reset has been far from smooth. Average attendances remain well below pre-war levels, while the season itself was delayed multiple times before eventually beginning in mid-December — a schedule that is now expected to extend deep into the summer months.
Concerns over facilities and fan safety have already sparked internal tension. The anticipated Matchday Two fixture between Tishreen and Hottin — also known as the Latakia Derby — was postponed by the Syrian Football Association until further notice. No official explanation was provided, but stadium readiness and crowd safety has been at the core of football discussion in Syria.
Supporters have also voiced their frustration over the newly announced ticket prices. Entry fees increased from 5,000 Syrian pounds ($0.45) to 15,000 SYP, a threefold rise announced by the SFA and widely cited as a factor behind subdued crowds.
Infrastructure remains a pressing issue. Historic venues such as Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Stadium in the city of Homs are still not cleared to host games due to pitch conditions and safety requirements, reinforcing the sense of uneven progress — advances made, but frequently offset by new obstacles.
Operational shortcomings were evident as early as the first game of the season. In the opening fixture between Al-Shorta and Hottin, a formal warning was issued to the former by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee due to a breach in organizational arrangements for the match, including the failure to provide ball boys, which led to a five-minute delay to kick-off.
Political sensitivities have not been easy to navigate either. Al-Karamah were fined 1,500,000 SYP after fans directed verbal abuse at Al-Wahda player Milad Hamad, due to previous political posts made on his Facebook account.
Five days later, Al-Wahda announced Hamad’s suspension from all sporting activities pending review by the relevant committee at the SFA. “This decision comes in solidarity with all our beloved Syrian fans and as a reaffirmation of our commitment to the unity of our people and our land, and to the fact that the blood of our martyrs in the Syrian Revolution has not been shed in vain,” the club said in a statement posted via their official Facebook page.
Rebuilding a sustainable football system in Syria has proven complex. The league’s return has brought moments of excitement alongside renewed tension — a reminder that restoring domestic football is not simply about restarting competition, but about addressing the structures that support it. The Syrian Football Association was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
