The German gave Roberto De Zerbi a bear hug, and only he knows what Jurgen Klopp murmured to him.
Though it lasted significantly longer than normal, the conversation may have been little more than the customary touchline pre-match small talk.
However, Klopp might have been implying that if he wanted the role that would open up this summer, he could rely on his recommendation.
Mo Salah bags Liverpool’s hard-earned winner
Salah is congratulated by his team-mates
In any case, De Zerbi did no harm at all if he does want one of the greatest jobs in the world when Klopp retires, thanks to Danny Welbeck’s incredible goal in the 87th minute that ignited this thrilling match.
Ultimately, following a sluggish start, Klopp’s machine—as it has so frequently done this season—got going full bore again.
With goals that won the match and kept their team’s title hopes alive, Luis Diaz and the incredible Mo Salah made sure of that.
In his first interview with The Kop after learning that leading candidate Xabi Alonso would not be joining Bayer Leverkusen to take over, Klopp acknowledged that this was a tight call, as did his possible replacement.
Now that the head hunters have been obliged to cast a wider net and Sporting’s Ruben Amorim is also very much in the running, he will undoubtedly receive another, proper one from CEO Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes
Even though the Seagulls ultimately lost, De Zerbi’s audition got off to an almost perfect start.
Though other coaches have also discovered this season that Liverpool may be exploited early in Games
Simon Adringa has once again demonstrated that the right side, where Trent Alexander-Arnold or, at the moment, Connor Bradley play full back, is a site for pillage.
Bradley, 20, who was filling in for Alexander-Arnold due to a long-term injury, was left up-field when the winger accelerated into space.
Dominik Szoboszlai had a chance to sweep away his low cross, but the £60 million Hungarian shanked only in the direction of Virgil van Dijk, whose attempted clearing bounced into Welbeck’s path.
On his 100th Premier League Game, sixteen yards out, he responded spectacularly, sending Caoimhin Kelleher with a right-footed shot.
After praising De Zerbi as a “top coach” before the Game, Klopp stood confusedly on the touchline.
From Liverpool’s perspective, the goal was a total disaster, and things didn’t improve for a while.
Adringa appeared to be heading down the wing again, and young Bradley, who has always been pushed to get forwards like Alexander-Arnold has, was missing again.
After a shove by Alexis Mac Allister in the 14th minute, he was given a yellow card.
Klopp’s side had been frantically pouring forward, for the sixth Premier League game of the season, looking to save themselves from themselves.
Five times they had come back to win after going behind and now they have retrieved a total of 26 points from losing positions.
But right up until the very end, De Zerbi and his committed players made this comeback one of the hardest.
The fact that Klopp’s players were able to celebrate come the final whistle was once again mainly down to Salah as has so often been the case.
It was he who of all people, in the 27th minute, rose high and courageously to head into the box.
Diaz got on the end of it, hooking high into the net although a long VAR wait followed.
Danny Welbeck fired Brighton into the lead
Welbeck celebrates with Tariq Lamptey
Luis Diaz levelled from close range
Diaz netted a crucial goal for the Reds
But Liverpool got lucky for while the Colombian attacker looked offside, the ball had been played on by defender Joel Veltman’s poor attempt to belt clear.
Alexis Mac Allister was in charge of Liverpool at this period of time.
Indeed this was probably his best performance in a red shirt since last summer departure from Brighton.
De Zerbi has always said he was a big miss, and the World Cup winner’s display only underlined how good an attacking midfielder he is.
At no time more so than in the 65th minute when he accepted a pass from Bradley then delivered the perfect pass to Salah.
The Kop’s Egyptian king tried with ten shots, no less, to hit the net in the first half but missed with all of them.
This time there was no mistake as he delivered with the signature lft-footed strike that made him the first player in the Prem era to reach double figures for both goals and assists in three consecutive campaigns.
Diaz thought he had notched a second soon after but VAR spotted he was offside by the length of his right big toe.
That let – off only ramped up the nerves around most of Anfield, De Zerbi’s men continuing to threaten on the break.
And helping prove that in the Italian, those Kop head-hunters should very much have him in for meaningful discussions once this campaign is over.
