Danny Welbeck has not given up on making England’s World Cup squad and showed exactly what Thomas Tuchel is missing with two goals to dent Liverpool’s Champions League hopes. The Brighton striker moved past Dominic Calvert-Lewin – selected ahead of him for England’s upcoming friendlies – with his 11th and 12th league goals of the season, making him the Premier League’s highest-scoring Englishman.
At 35, this is the most prolific campaign of his career. Could he really warrant a place in the England squad this summer? It seems a stretch, but with players extending their elite years longer than ever, there is at least some logic in taking an experienced forward – one with 16 goals in 42 England games – to the US as Harry Kane’s understudy.
If this was a reminder to Tuchel of what Welbeck can still offer, it was equally a reminder of the challenge Liverpool face to qualify for next season’s Champions League. This was their 10th Premier League defeat of the season; you have to go back a decade to find the last time they lost that many times in the league. The manner of Brighton’s goals summed up Liverpool’s season: disjointed, out of sync, error-strewn.
In the buildup to the first, Curtis Jones misplaced a pass intended for Jeremie Frimpong out for a throw-in. Moments later, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili – drafted in after Alisson pulled out injured on Friday night – had the ball at his feet and played it to Ibrahima Konaté, but the pass was overhit and the defender let it run under his foot. From the resulting thrown-in, a deep cross was headed back across by Diego Gómez, and Welbeck was given freedom to head in from close range.
