Liverpool suffered another miserable afternoon as Kaoru Mitoma’s stunning stoppage-time goal saw the holders dumped out of the FA Cup 2-1 at Brighton.
The Reds, back at the scene of the 3-0 thumping a fortnight ago, which Jurgen Klopp described as the worst of his managerial career, looked destined for at least a replay after Lewis Dunk’s lucky strike cancelled out Harvey Elliott’s opener.
But Japan star Mitoma produced a fabulous piece of improvisation to control the ball and then volley a dramatic winner to leave Klopp wincing again.
“Sometimes you have to win a game like that,” Dunk told ITV. “We weren't great today but managed to grind it out against a top side. They are top players and top strikers, especially after the win 15 days ago when we were very good and beat them.
“We knew they wanted to come back but we dug in. We feel like we can beat anyone on our best days and we showed here we can do it on our not so good days. We just need to keep pushing on.”
On fellow goalscorer Mitoma, Dunk added: “It's nice to have him in our side, I'm glad I'm not chasing him. He's a top player and he's come out of nowhere. We are lucky to have him in our team and hopefully we can keep him. We'll take it game by game.”
Brighton, as expected, were without wantaway midfielder Moises Caicedo, who went public with his desire to leave after Arsenal had a £60 million bid turned down.
They shrugged off his absence in style, although there was certainly a hole in Brighton’s midfield as Liverpool carved through it early on.
Naby Keita sent Mohamed Salah racing clear down the right and, after his initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Jason Steele, Adam Webster cleared the rebound off the line.
Ten minutes later Brighton also had an effort blocked on the line when Solly March’s low cross was met by Evan Ferguson six yards out, with Trent Alexander-Arnold on hand to clear from under the crossbar.
Then Salah was put through again, this time by Elliott’s cute pass, but he dragged his shot across goal and wide.
However, the roles were reversed to greater effect moments later when Salah played in Elliott, who swept the ball past Steele and into the net.
Brighton equalised in the 39th minute when Tariq Lamptey’s fierce drive was diverted past the wrong-footed Alisson by the boot of Dunk.
The Seagulls captain wheeled away in celebration as if he had known exactly what he was doing, but later admitted it was a lucky touch.
Dunk’s next piece of skill was deliberate, though, an audacious free-kick that floated just wide with Alisson scampering back nervously.
Brighton were desperately unlucky not to go ahead with 20 minutes remaining after Mitoma bent in an inviting low cross with the outside of his right boot.
It was met in front of goal by March, whose prod forward hit Alisson, rebounded back off the winger and spun narrowly wide.
Instead, two minutes into stoppage time, Mitoma struck at the far post, bamboozling Joe Gomez as he controlled Pervis Estupinan’s cross before rifling in the winner.
Defender Andy Robertson said afterwards Liverpool have been “nowhere good enough” this season. “It's so disappointing,” he added. “It's bitterly disappointing. It's hard to take.”
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The%20specs
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Specs
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Don't get fined
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- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
