Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane had given the former champions a 2-0 lead but what looked like a runaway victory for the Reds turned into a lucky draw after Brighton hit back through Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard just before halftime and midway through the second half.

 

The draw leaves Liverpool second in the Premier League points table, now three points behind leaders Chelsea, who defeated Newcastle United 3-0. Brighton, meanwhile, slipped from the fifth position to sixth following Arsenal's victory against Leicester City in an earlier match on Saturday.

 

Liverpool suddenly went off the boil in the second half and came under some pressure against a side to which they had lost to at Anfield last season.

 

The Reds' goalkeeper Alisson Becker made three massive saves -- the first at 2-1 and the other two at 2-2 - that ultimately secured the point for the Reds, but Brighton leave Anfield feeling like they should have taken all three points themselves.

 

This could have been even more difficult for Liverpool if defending champions Manchester City had not been stunned by Crystal Palace. Liverpool, Chelsea, and City were separated by two points but this round of matches widened the gap as Chelsea were clear on the top with Liverpool in second and City in third place.

 

Breakaway goals from Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher helped Crystal Palace score a famous victory over ten-man Manchester City, in a nail-biting encounter on Saturday.

 

The bigger concern for Pep Guardiola's side was the straight red card shown to Aymeric Laporte for hauling down Zaha as he raced through on goal.

 

In other matches, Burnley beat Brentford 3-1 and Southampton beat Watford 1-0 on Saturday.