Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
So the tedium continues. After the high of Wednesday’s Champions League thumping of Galatasaray came a reminder of why Liverpool’s participation in the competition next season hangs precariously in the balance.
Yet more injuries and understandable fatigue contributed as the Reds frittered away another chance to make inroads in the battle for the top four with Manchester United having dropped points the previous night.
But everything that was wrong with this dreadful performance has been present and very much not correct throughout this ongoing dismal season that continues to heap pressure on Reds boss Arne Slot..
Sloppy defending? Check. Indecisive play in the final third? Check. A lack of threat in the box from open play? Check. Too slow play? Check.
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It’s not as though this is one of the best Brighton teams in recent times. They’ve been languishing in the bottom half of the table for a reason.
But leaden-footed Liverpool proceeded at times to make them look one of the most electric teams in the top-flight, rescued only by Brighton showing their own failings going forward by wasting a host of second-half opportunities to extend the lead given them to by two avoidable Danny Welbeck strikes.
A 10th Premier League defeat of the season, it means the Reds have now lost as many games this term as the previous two combined. Not since 2015/16 have they been beaten so often in the top flight.
There were no redeeming features to this display, one of so many where Liverpool have appeared the polar opposite of the electric side that thrilled less than three days later. Schizophrenic doesn't do it justice.
True, the schedule didn’t help, this game coming less than 72 hours after that Galatasaray clash. But the kick-off being put back 15 minutes was ultimately only delaying the inevitable.
The lack of quality throughout the Premier League means Liverpool, having taken just one point from the last nine, are far from ruled out of a top-five finish.
Increasingly, though, it looks like their late season triumvirate of games against Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa will prove crucial.
Either that or seeing off Paris Saint-German, then either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid before probably Arsenal to win the Champions League in May.
A tough task has just become a whole lot more difficult. And Liverpool have only themselves to blame. This was absolutely nowhere near good enough.