Brighton fans will have been through every emotion under the sun over the last three days.
Dark and deep sadness, perhaps jealousy, watching their bitter rivals Crystal Palace lift the FA Cup on Saturday and, with it, put a significant dent in their hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Then there would be the dismay at outplaying Liverpool, but somehow being behind at half-time in a topsy-turvy game.
And then there would be the euphoria after academy lad Jack Hinshelwood scored an 85th-minute winner to topple Liverpool and give them serious hope of qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
To do that, they need Chelsea to win this year’s edition of that competition – thus qualifying for the Europa League – but finish outside the top five. Complicated, yes. Probable? Not really. Possible? Oh yes.
The hero of the night was Hinshelwood in what could be a proud week for his family — his father Adam manages York City in the National League play-offs on Tuesday — to cap off a fabulous comeback win for Fabian Hurzeler’s men after Kaoru Mitoma scored an equaliser.
Jack Hinshelwood scored the winner for Brighton as they beat champions Liverpool 3-2
The hosts came from behind to secure the win and keep up hope of European qualification
Liverpool’s players spent most of last week in Dubai, with manager Arne Slot in Ibiza
Liverpool’s players had spent most of last week on the lash in Dubai and then had a ‘Summer of 66’ themed party put on by departing star Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Arne Slot also spending a few days sunning himself in Ibiza.
So the Premier League champions could have been forgiven if they showed signs of a hangover on the south coast, especially with Slot shuffling his pack and giving rare starts to Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Federico Chiesa — remember him?
But the early signs were that the Reds had avoided any serious symptoms, as they took the lead after just nine minutes. Conor Bradley was the architect with the sort of weaving run that would have further eased fans’ hurt over Alexander-Arnold’s exit.
The Northern Irishman signed a new deal on Saturday to prove the club’s faith in him. He has nothing to prove to Slot, but it still felt like Bradley could have done with a positive performance here, given fellow right back Jeremie Frimpong has undergone a Reds medical.
The 21-year-old received the ball from a 50-yard sprayed pass from Dominik Szoboszlai, then skipped past limp challenges from Simon Adingra and Adam Webster before squaring for an Elliott tap-in, his first league strike of a frustrating campaign.
Chiesa, on his first start in the Premier League after a £10million switch from Juventus last August, then nearly teed up Bradley for a goal of his own minutes later. But the home team soon imposed themselves and were arguably the better side.
Danny Welbeck headed just wide with a gilt-edged chance that drew gasps from the Amex Stadium crowd when it was shown on the big screens.
But the veteran forward soon played a part in Albion’s equaliser, combining with Brajan Gruda to assist Yasin Ayari’s cool strike.
The likes of Federico Chiesa were afforded rare starts for Liverpool in the tie on the south coast
Trent Alexander-Arnold (centre) was booed last week and threw a party a few days ago but remained on the bench here
Conor Bradley was the architect for the first goal as he was given another start at right back
Danny Welbeck would play key roles in Brighton’s first two goals – setting up one before scoring the other
But the day belonged to Hinshelwood – who played alongside his cousin – and tapped in Matt O’Riley’s cross
Fabian Hurzeler’s men continued to play through the champions, but found themselves heading in at the break a goal down against the run of play.
Szoboszlai received the ball wide on the right and caught Bart Verbruggen out with a cross-shot that flew into the far corner. Did he mean it? Only the Hungarian will know.
The second half was a helter-skelter affair and both teams had chances to score, with the goalkeepers on top form. Alisson denied Welbeck from a free-kick before getting down superbly to make a reflex stop from Gruda’s close-range effort.
At the other end, Mohamed Salah had a howler as he pulled a shot wide from six yards after fine work from Cody Gakpo.
But Brighton finally equalised again on 69 minutes with Kaoru Mitoma scoring a fine volley with one of his first touches, just four minutes after entering as a substitute.
Brighton never gave up trying, though, and Hinshelwood provided the goods after Matt O’Riley’s cross. Do they still have hopes of another European tour? Well, never say never.
