Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson assessed that "everything went wrong" for the Reds in the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton.

Jurgen Klopp's side suffered a sixth top-flight defeat of the season as Danny Welbeck added to Solly March's brace to seal a memorable win for the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium.

The Reds have now started a calendar year with two league defeats in a row for the first time since 1993, while they have also lost as many as five away league matches in a single season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

They could end the weekend 10 points adrift of the top four and Henderson wants to see a reaction from his team-mates in their next few games. 

"Everything went wrong from the start to the end," he said. "Brighton were better than us in all departments. It's a real low point as a team. We have to stay together.

"It's a tough moment but we need to get together, stay together and try and change things quickly. We have to try and learn and show a reaction.

"There wasn't one thing. It was numerous things and it hasn't been right for a little while now. Everybody knows that. We know we can be better.

"I'll take responsibility and the lads will. We have to try to put it right."

Asked if it was Liverpool's worst performance under the management of Klopp, Henderson said: "Probably. I can't remember another one. A really tough day.

"We're pretty low on confidence. The energy level is low. Everything. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We have to keep fighting and hopefully we can change it sooner rather than later.

"We know we can play better and give even more. But you have to keep working."

Liverpool have an FA Cup third-round replay against Wolves on Tuesday, before a Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not remember a worse performance than in his side's 3-0 thumping by Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

Solly March scored twice early in the second half before Danny Welbeck added a fine third as the Seagulls beat Liverpool at home for the first time since 1961.

The Reds, who could be 10 points adrift of the top four after Sunday's games, were second-best throughout and have now started a calendar year with two league defeats in a row for the first time since 1993.

They have also lost as many as five away league matches in a single season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

But this might have been the worst of the lot, with Liverpool leaky at the back and profligate in attack, giving up 16 shots and failing to net with any of their six. Brighton controlled the ball with a huge 61.9 per cent of the possession.

"Bad, really bad," Klopp told BBC Sport afterwards. "I can't remember a worse game. It's not difficult maybe. Brighton were the better team, it was well deserved. They played really well.

"It was a very organised team against a not very organised team. We gave the ball away, the spaces were too big, and we couldn't push up. That is obviously not good, especially against a super well drilled side like Brighton.

"They got more confident, and we did the opposite. I can imagine they are very happy because it was a great performance, and we made it too easy in too many moments.

"I had an idea to change the formation, which was to try to help the team. That was the idea, but we never did it properly. We were always a bit in between, and that's the worst thing you can do.

"We could have done better, but we didn't and that's why I looked the way it did.

"We need to be creative with the options we have. What I saw today from my team was that they were not really convinced by it. That's it."

Asked if he was concerned by his side's display, Klopp said: "Yes, how can you not be after a game like this? I cannot stand here and say it didn't happen.

"Of course, we have to be very concerned about it."

In a separate interview, he added: "Doing better should be easy, because this is a really low point. I can't remember a worse game.

"To improve that will be not too difficult. From this game, we can pick up absolutely nothing apart from things that do not work."

Liverpool's dire season took another turn for the worse as Solly March's double helped Brighton and Hove Albion to a superb 3-0 Premier League win on Saturday.

March, who saw a penalty award overturned by VAR in the first half, scored twice in the opening eight minutes of the second half to put the game out of Liverpool's reach.

Substitute Danny Welbeck added a glorious third late on to put the seal on a sixth top-flight defeat of the season on Jurgen Klopp's beleaguered Reds.

The result helped the Seagulls move above Liverpool into seventh, with the eighth-placed Reds staying seven points adrift of the Champions League qualification places.

Brighton were comfortably the better side in the opening 30 minutes, yet despite a number of promising opportunities, they were unable to beat Alisson.

The Liverpool goalkeeper breathed a huge sigh of relief shortly before half-time when a penalty awarded against him for a foul on March was overturned after the Brighton midfielder ventured marginally offside in the build-up.

March was not to be denied a minute into the second half when he met Kaoru Mitoma's prodded ball across the face of goal with a simple finish past Alisson.

It got even better for Brighton and March seven minutes later when the 28-year-old latched onto Evan Ferguson's pass, took the ball away from his marker and clipped a fine left-footed finish across Alisson from 15 yards.

Liverpool's misery deepened nine minutes from full-time when former Manchester United forward Welbeck lifted the ball over Joe Gomez's head and clipped past Alisson for a fine third.

Leandro Trossard wants to leave Brighton and Hove Albion after a spat with coach Roberto De Zerbi ahead of the visit of Liverpool.

The Belgian winger hit a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield when the teams met in October, in what was De Zerbi's first Premier League game since succeeding Graham Potter.

Relations between Trossard and De Zerbi have taken a turn for the worse, however, and the former Genk player will play no part in the rematch with Jurgen Klopp's side on Saturday.

De Zerbi told a pre-match press conference Trossard needs to buck up his attitude, criticising the 28-year-old's conduct in training.

"On Monday, I spoke with him and I explained this attitude, this behaviour, I don't like," De Zerbi said. "We are not a big team, a Real Madrid or Barcelona. We are Brighton and we need players who work like the others."

Trossard has been linked with a possible move to Tottenham, but De Zerbi claimed to have no knowledge of a transfer in the offing.

The criticism from the Italian coach drew a response from Trossard's agent Josy Comhair.

Comhair, quoted widely in Belgian media, said Trossard has "indicated that he is ready for his next step", after failing to come to an agreement over a new contract at Brighton.

The agent also claimed there had been "an altercation between Leandro and a player in training over a trivial matter" and this had led De Zerbi to give Trossard the silent treatment.

Comhair said De Zerbi then scolded Trossard in front of the rest of Brighton's players in training on Monday.

According to the agent, De Zerbi has already suggested "several times that a transfer is the most convenient solution".

Comhair added: "It is therefore important that Brighton cooperates with a potential transfer during this transfer period and shows a benevolent attitude, which is beneficial to both parties."

Jurgen Klopp has demanded Liverpool's players show some "fight" to salvage their season.

Klopp is concerned his players are not winning enough challenges, and he has told them to take responsibility.

Liverpool's tackle success rate in the Premier League has been strong enough, with their 60.73 per cent record ranking them third among all clubs, behind only Arsenal and Everton.

But the record in duels is a different story, and dismal from a Reds perspective. A duel is defined by Opta as a '50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides'.

Only in seven out of 27 games across all competitions has Liverpool's duels success reached 50 per cent this season.

In Premier League games only, Liverpool's duels record heading into the latest round of games was the worst of all teams, with a 47.54 per cent success rate.

Klopp said the only way around the problem was to "win more challenges".

"I cannot win challenges for them," he said. "That's what we are talking about, and it's something we have to do, and that will change a lot.

"It's a basic thing to win challenges, and that's why we're talking a little bit about it.

"We are not the most shiny star because we don't play the football people expect and we expect as well, but we have good moments, and we have to fight through this."

Klopp was adamant Liverpool "have more problems than other teams at this moment", with injuries to key personnel undoubtedly hampering their progress.

They sat seventh in the table going into the weekend, after losing to Brentford in their last league game, with a tricky away game at Brighton and Hove Albion awaiting them on Saturday.

Klopp is sure Liverpowill win football games again", after their sticky start since the season resumed after the World Cup.

Liverpool's EFL Cup defence ended with defeat to Manchester City in December, while hopes of another run to FA Cup glory are hanging by a thread as they face a third-round Molineux replay against Wolves after an Anfield draw.

Klopp said the Brighton game was a "very important game for us for different reasons".

He stressed there are aspects of Liverpool's recent performances "we didn't like" and said there was no danger of underestimating Brighton, a team he feels are "full of confidence" under Roberto De Zerbi's leadership.

The game should mark Mohamed Salah's 300th appearance for an English club, with the Egypt international having to date played 280 games for Liverpool and 19 for Chelsea.

He has proven to be one of Klopp's best signings, and Liverpool hope there is plenty still to come from the 30-year-old, who has blossomed at Anfield after a spell with Roma.

"Oh my god, what a journey," Klopp said. "I would say his dreams and our dreams came true during that period, but it's not over yet.

"Mo is fit, still after all these years, after all these games, and that's important, that he's available pretty much always.

"Sometimes the performance drops here and there, but it doesn't happen too often, so I think it was a perfect match."

Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a transfer raid to lift Liverpool for a push towards the Champions League places.

The Reds manager became riled by questions on the subject when speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are sidelined by injury, reducing Klopp's options in attack, and Darwin Nunez could also miss the Brighton game.

Key defender Virgil van Dijk is also out of action, but Klopp dismissed the idea Liverpool could use the January transfer window to solve their problems.

"I don't think so," he said. "My job is to use the boys we have, so that's it. I like the teams we line up, but when we start to change things you see we don't have three, four, five options, and if we have options they are pretty young.

"You cannot solve all problems in a transfer window. In a dreamland you would just buy players now and bring them in, but I don't see that coming."

Liverpool have been linked with the likes of Benfica's Argentina World Cup star Enzo Fernandez, but judging by Klopp's tone there will be no deal materialising there in the near future.

Asked why Liverpool would not be targeting the market for new additions, Klopp said: "What could be the reason? That we have money like crazy, but we don't buy the players even when they are available?

"That's what you think of me after all the years? Why ask the question when the answer lies on the table? I really don't understand that.

"If I sat here and said we have money in the bank, massively, like we don't know what to do with, but the players are out there but nah, we don't do that...

"We have on top of that the problem that in the moment four of our offensive players are injured, strikers.

"So if we buy another one and they come back, and we have seven strikers, we couldn't even put them all on the Champions League list. We'd have to make a decision.

"So it's just not that easy, you cannot solve the problem, especially with injuries.

"Injuries, that's the main, big, big shadow over all of us, because you cannot solve it in the transfer window. Sometimes you have to, but usually you have to get through until the boys come back and then you can use them again.

"The transfer market is for us not in this moment a solution. But if something's out there and someone tells me we can do it, we will do it, but in this specific situation I don't think it will happen."

Liverpool were held 3-3 by Brighton at Anfield in October, in a game that saw Leandro Trossard hit a hat-trick for the Seagulls.

That was early in the reign of Roberto De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter as Brighton head coach, and the south-coast club won none of their first five Premier League games under the Italian (D2 L3).

They have won four of their last six under De Zerbi, however, while Liverpool have lost three of their last seven in the league, as many as in their previous 37 games combined (W26 D8).

Klopp's side sit seventh in the table entering the latest round of games, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

A defeat last Monday to Brentford was a jolt for the Reds, who have not begun a calendar year with two league losses in a row since 1993, in the inaugural Premier League campaign, when they were beaten by Aston Villa and Wimbledon.

Klopp said of the trip to the Amex Stadium: "It will be a tough one, but I'm really looking forward to it because we've had a good week [in training] and I hope the players who are available during the week will stay available and be ready for a fight."

After a week's break for the FA Cup, the Premier League is back with a full round of fixtures this weekend – in fact, some teams have midweek games too.

As such, fantasy football managers turn their attention back to team selections, transfers and captain choices.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four options that might be worth your consideration…

Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest v Leicester City)

Forest endured a pretty brutal reality check upon their long-awaited return to the Premier League, but things have started looking up in the past few weeks.

Henderson has undoubtedly been a shrewd addition between the posts and his recent form reflects Forest's general improvement.

Four of his five Premier League clean sheets this term have come in his seven most recent appearances, while Forest have collectively restricted their opponents to two or fewer shots on target in four of their past five outings.

Sven Botman (Newcastle United v Fulham)

Newcastle have excelled in many areas this term, hence their position in the top four. Defensively they have been solid, and Botman has more than played his part.

Eddie Howe's men have kept a clean sheet in each of their past four league games, with Botman playing at least 87 minutes in all of them.

Only four players have contributed to more clean sheets than his seven this season, and another will see the Magpies record five successive top-flight shutouts for the first time.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United v Manchester City)

Granted, Fernandes is not exactly an "out there" selection, so this is more of a reminder of the value he can represent.

For starters, he is in good form having provided an assist in each of his past two league games, and for the season only Kevin De Bruyne (41) has created more chances in open play (40).

While he only has three assists, his 4.3 expected assists is the third best in the division, suggesting his team-mates have not fully made the most of his craft.

But with Marcus Rashford in such form and a big game against City – following by a midweek trip to struggling Crystal Palace – up next, Fernandes will be a leading candidate to be decisive.

Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool)

From a slightly obvious pick to a real wildcard, but bear with us.

Ferguson has made a big impact at Brighton over the past few weeks. The 18-year-old has been involved in three goals across his past two games (two goals, one assist).

If he gets another goal against Liverpool at the weekend, he will be the youngest player (18 years and 87 days on Saturday) to score in three consecutive Premier League games since Michael Owen (18y, 12d).

Is it written in the stars?

In-demand forward Leandro Trossard must show full commitment to Brighton and Hove Albion if he is to return to their starting line-up, says head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Trossard has been linked with a move to Newcastle United or a reunion with former boss Graham Potter at Chelsea after impressing before the World Cup, though his form has tailed off badly since then.

The 28-year-old has seven goals in 16 Premier League appearances this season, but he was left out for the Seagulls' 4-1 thrashing of Everton on Tuesday after starting just once in Belgium's dire World Cup campaign.

Speaking to The Athletic, De Zerbi said of Trossard: "I think he's one of the best players for us and one of the most important players for us. 

"I'd like to always play with Leo in the first eleven, but it doesn't depend only on me, it depends on Leo. I want players that work for the team on the pitch and Leandro knows very well my opinion. I've spoken a lot of times with him.

"I like him as a player, but I want more from him, because he can play better, he can work harder, he can run more on the pitch.

"I want players who give 100 per cent in every training session and every game. Without these characteristics, they can't play with me."

Asked whether Trossard's experience in Qatar was to blame for his recent drop-off, the Italian said: "I don't know if it’s the World Cup. I have to watch what my player does on the pitch. 

"If there is a problem, I'm always open to understanding, but on the pitch I want 100 per cent always. I can't understand 80 per cent or 90 per cent."

Moises Caicedo is another Brighton player to be linked with a move, but the club's chief executive Paul Barber claims he is yet to field an offer from suitors including Liverpool and Chelsea, laughing off a reported £42million valuation of the midfielder. 

"I'm pleased to say we haven't had any [offers]. Maybe they haven't got my email because I haven't seen any," he told CBS Sports.

"I'm not sure £42m will even include his boots now, maybe just the laces. But joking aside, every player's value is ultimately determined by the market."

Frank Lampard believes he can get Everton back on track, as the pressure grew on the former Chelsea boss following a dismal 4-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Everton were no match for Brighton on Tuesday at Goodison Park, as they were condemned to a fourth Premier League defeat in five games.

Having stayed up by the skin of their teeth last season, Everton sit 16th with 15 points from 18 matches.

Everton might well be in the bottom three by the time they face fellow strugglers Southampton on January 14, but Lampard believes he can turn their fortunes around.

"Since I have been in here we have been in this situation, so it's not a case of fear, it's a case of just keep working," Lampard told reporters when asked if he feared for his future.

"I can't control the talk or the decisions, when you are around this area of the table this is what happens.

"You lose a game like this, I absolutely understand any reaction. I don't listen to too much of it because if you do then it becomes your focal point, so I don't focus on it.

"I'm very confident in myself and will work to turn it around. I can't predict the future. We have to try and win games — it's all we can look at."

Lampard was appointed as Rafael Benitez's successor in January 2022. Of the 36 league games he has overseen, Everton have won just nine (25 per cent), losing 19. 

Three days prior to Tuesday's defeat, Everton had frustrated Manchester City to claim a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium, and Alex Iwobi believes a lack of consistency is the main issue.

"I don't think confidence is the issue," Iwobi told Sky Sports. "We showed how we can play against Man City.

"We can't be one minute good one minute bad. We've got to be consistent. The way we discussed in the changing room now is we all want to fix it.

"I'm confident we can get ourselves out of this."

Everton's hierarchy also faced ire from the fans that remained at Goodison Park on Tuesday, with chants of "sack the board" aimed at the directors' box.

Alexis Mac Allister is in no rush to make an exit from Brighton and Hove Albion after his World Cup triumph, despite reported interest from multiple European heavyweights.

The Argentina midfielder earned a recall to the national team at the start of last year and proved instrumental in helping Lionel Messi and company reach the summit at Qatar 2022.

His form had already been impressive for the Seagulls this term, but his performances with La Albiceleste have seen links to several major suitors only multiply since.

But speaking after his return to the Premier League outfit following an extended post-tournament break, Mac Allister has insisted he is happy at Brighton.

"I try not to read too much [into speculation]," he told the club's Albion TV channel. "I always say I am happy here. I don't have any rush to leave.

"I feel really good. I'm really grateful [for] this club, my team-mates and all the people who work here. I'm just focused on the next game."

Mac Allister's words will come as a boost to coach Roberto De Zebri, who warned on Monday the 24-year-old could find a mid-season switch an impediment to his game.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus are among those all linked with a move for him, though the Blues' pursuit of Enzo Fernandez suggests they may have cooled their interest.

Mac Allister was one of eight Brighton players who headed to the World Cup, and the first Seagulls player to reach the tournament final in history.

The playmaker feels that the experience for all of the team's international stars however will benefit them going forward into 2023, as they look to press on for a top-six finish.

"It was a good World Cup for this club and for the players who went to the World Cup," he added.

"We know we’ve got a good team with really good players. This is a tough league, it will be hard, but we will try to finish as high as we can."

Alexis Mac Allister has been warned against a January move by Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Mac Allister won praise for a series of energetic performances for Argentina in Qatar, starting six of La Albiceleste's seven matches as they won the World Cup for a third time.

Although he signed a new three-year contract with Brighton in October, Mac Allister has been linked with some of Europe's biggest sides, with Juventus, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.

On Monday, Mac Allister returned to Brighton for the first time since the tournament and told Sky Sports he was "in no rush" to move elsewhere. 

De Zerbi welcomed those comments as he insisted the AMEX Stadium was the best place for Mac Allister to continue his development.

"I spoke with him an hour ago about playing better. If he wants to stay, we're happy. It's better for him as well as for us," De Zerbi said as he previewed Tuesday's trip to Everton.

"In this moment, changing team could be a problem for him.

"We are happy for him. Now for us he's a very important player. It's better to play with him than to play without him."

Mac Allister scored twice as Brighton won 3-2 at Goodison Park in January last year, but De Zerbi will leave it late before deciding on his involvement this time around.

Asked whether Mac Allister was ready to start, De Zerbi said: "Mentally yes. Physically, I don't know. We'll decide [on Tuesday]."

Brighton fell to a 4-2 defeat in a thrilling contest against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday, with De Zerbi left to lament a lack of luck.

"We are disappointed with the result. We played well," he said. "To get a good result against a big team you have to be a little lucky. We weren't lucky. 

"We had chances to open the game but Arsenal are a great team. We can lose the game, but we are disappointed with the way in which we lost the game, not only for the result, but for the way."

Alexis Mac Allister was welcomed back to Brighton and Hove Albion in elaborate fashion on Monday following his World Cup triumph with Argentina.

The midfielder started six of his country's seven matches in Qatar, scoring in the 2-0 victory over Poland in the group stage, and assisting Angel Di Maria's goal in the final victory against France last month.

Mac Allister subsequently lifted the trophy at Lusail Stadium, and was given the opportunity to do so again on his return to Brighton's training ground in Lancing.

Surrounded by team-mates and members of staff, the 24-year-old raised a replica trophy to huge cheers while sprayed with confetti in the colours of La Albiceleste.

Although he signed a new three-year deal with the Seagulls in October – with the option to extend it by a further year – Mac Allister has been heavily linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium.

Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly favourites to secure his services, while Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have also been touted as potential destinations.

Chelsea are working to reunite manager Graham Potter with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in a January move believed to be worth in the range of £60million.

Mac Allister, 24, has been with Brighton since 2019, and is coming off his most productive Premier League campaign after forcing his way into Potter's best XI to earn 11 consecutive starts to close last season.

His emergence, which was followed up by a fine start to 2022-23, did not go unnoticed, with Mac Allister earning a spot in Argentina's World Cup squad, where he would go on to start all four of his country's knockout games and contribute an assist in the final against France.

Chelsea have spent plenty of time scouting Argentina players in search of midfield reinforcements, having long been linked with Enzo Fernandez, but have reportedly landed on Potter's recent colleague as the best value of the bunch.
 

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO BRIGHTON FOR SOLUTION TO MIDFIELD WOES

Chelsea's interest in fellow Argentina standout and Benfica midfielder Fernandez has also been well documented, but with his price tag exceeding £100m, Football Insider is reporting the Stamford Bridge club now view Mac Allister as a better value.

The report states Chelsea have "concrete" interest in making a January move a reality, and that £60m will likely be enough to pry him away from Brighton.

Meanwhile, Portuguese publication Relevo still claims Chelsea's move for Fernandez is only "one step away", confirming the 21-year-old has agreed to personal terms, but indicating Chelsea are hesitant about meeting his full release clause.

ROUND-UP

– According to the Star, Tottenham expect to complete a £35m move for Sporting right-back Pedro Porro by the end of the week.

– A Bola adds Tottenham are also investigating the possibility of bringing back 24-year-old English midfielder Marcus Edwards from Sporting, having initially left the club in 2019.

– Bild is reporting in-demand Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram, 25, will be available for as little as €12m.

– According to Foot Mercato, Morocco and Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou could depart for Bayern Munich or Manchester United in January. 

– Newcastle United have made an offer for 27-year-old Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy, per Foot Mercato.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal showed they are becoming "more mature" in a "big win" at Brighton and Hove Albion that put them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Draws for Manchester City and Newcastle United against Everton and Leeds United respectively earlier on New Year's Eve gave the Gunners a chance to increase their lead at the summit.

They grabbed it with both hands at the Amex Stadium, Bukayo Saka setting them on their way with a goal after only 66 seconds.

Inspirational captain Martin Odegaard doubled Arsenal's lead and Eddie Nketiah added a third goal, with Gabriel Martinelli getting in on the act either side of strikes from Seagulls duo Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson.

Mitoma looked to have set up a tense finale when he found the back of the net for a second time, but a VAR check showed he had strayed offside.

Arsenal are sitting pretty after five consecutive top-flight wins and Arteta thinks they are growing with every victory.

The Gunners head coach said: "The team is getting more mature and that was a big test today."

Arteta added: "It's a big win, I'm really happy. It's a really tough place to come. They are a really good side, they are extremely well coached and they made it tough for us. We made it tough for them as well.

"I think we were excellent, especially in attacking phases when we had the space, and the way they defend they makes it very open and we made the most out of it.

"We had moments that we discussed before where we were going to suffer and defend deeper. There were moments where we should have done better and we put ourselves in trouble, but that's the learning part and every game is a huge test."

The Spaniard knows there is plenty of work to do in the London club's quest to be crowned champions for the first time since 2004 as they turn their attention to face third-placed Newcastle at home on Tuesday.

Arteta said: "It's still a long run to go. My excitement comes from going into the dressing room when the players are talking about what they should have done better today.

"That means that they know that we can still play better and be better, and against Newcastle we have to be better."

Arsenal took advantage of Manchester City again failing to win a New Year's Eve game as the Gunners stormed seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

A 4-2 win at Brighton and Hove Albion did the job for Arsenal after Pep Guardiola's men were held 1-1 at home by Everton, meaning City remain winless in all five of their Premier League games played on December 31, drawing four and losing one.

Third-placed Newcastle United also took a stumble, drawing 0-0 at home against Leeds United in what was a league-high fourth goalless stalemate for the Magpies this season.

Elsewhere, Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse became the fifth player to score an own goal and a direct free-kick in a Premier League game and the first since Gareth Bale for Tottenham against Liverpool in November 2012. The Saints were beaten 2-1 at Fulham.

Manchester United edged out Wolves at Molineux, thanks to Marcus Rashford scoring the only goal of the game.

Guided by Opta data, Stats Perform takes a close look at some of the key statistics from the final Premier League games in 2022.

Brighton and Hove Albion 2-4 Arsenal: Saka's fast start sets the tone

Bukayo Saka put Mikel Arteta's men ahead after just 66 seconds, the earliest away goal for the Gunners in the Premier League since May 2013, when Theo Walcott netted after just 20 seconds against QPR.

Captain Martin Odegaard (seven goals, five assists in his last 13 Premier League games), Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli struck to build on that early opener, before a late wobble saw Brighton threaten to make a game of it.

Arsenal are just the fifth side in English top-flight history to pick up 43 points or more from the first 16 games in a season (assuming three points for a win).

The others are Tottenham (46 pts in 1960-61), Chelsea (43 pts in 2005-06), Manchester City (46 pts in 2017-18) and Liverpool (46 pts in 2019-20). The connection between those sides is they each went on to be champions.

Brighton are struggling at home but have a bright prospect in Evan Ferguson, who at the age of 18 years and 73 days became the club's youngest Premier League goalscorer when he grabbed the Seagulls' second.

Newcastle United 0-0 Leeds United: Out of Toon, Howe's team draw a blank

Newcastle ended the year with an outstanding 2022 record at St James' Park, collecting 41 points from 18 games (W12 D5 L1), with only Liverpool (48) and Manchester City (44) accruing more points on home turf.

This result was a disappointment, but perhaps we should have seen it coming. Despite posting an expected goals (xG) total of 2.01, which confirms they had plenty of chances to take all three points, Newcastle have now not won their final league game in any of the last six calendar years (D5 L1) since beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 in the Championship in 2016.

Leeds, scrapping to stay out of trouble in the bottom half, are unbeaten in four consecutive away league games against Newcastle for the first time (W1 D3), and their haul of four points from their last three trips away from Elland Road matches their total from their previous seven road games (W1 D1 L5).

Manchester City 1-1 Everton: Gray day as Haaland strike is not enough

This looked like being a familiar story when Erling Haaland fired City ahead in the 24th minute, but Demarai Gray's fine second-half leveller rescued a point for lowly Everton.

The result means reigning champions City, who were stunned 2-1 on home soil by Brentford before the World Cup break, have gone consecutive home games without picking up a win for the first time since losing to Leeds and Chelsea in April-May 2021.

Everton avoided defeat after falling behind at the Etihad Stadium for the first time and collected their first league point at the ground since a 1-1 draw in August 2017.

Haaland's 21 Premier League goals so far this term is the highest number scored by any player in a campaign before the turn of the year, and only Harry Kane (26) has managed more in the competition in the calendar year.

Gray's sweet strike in the 64th minute was Everton's first shot of the game, and it gave the former Leicester City winger his first away league goal since he netted in August 2021 at Brighton.

Wolves 0-1 Manchester United: Rash won't go away

Rashford came off the bench to be the hero, having been relegated to a substitute role after sleeping in and turning up late for a team meeting.

That was a rare misstep from the England man, who is showing exemplary form for United just now. Rashford has scored in three consecutive games for United for the first time since November 2019.

Rashford's classy 76th-minute finish gave him a 100th goal involvement in the Premier League (65 goals, 35 assists), and a 12th goal as a substitute in the competition. Only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (17) and Javier Hernandez (14) have netted more off the bench for United in the competition.

Former manager Solskjaer, meanwhile, is the only boss who has reached 10 Premier League wins in fewer matches than Erik ten Hag. It took Solskjaer 12 games, while Ten Hag has needed 16 to reach the total, with his team now up to fourth spot.

United's success gave them a third consecutive away win at Wolves for the first time, while it means they have not lost their last league game of the year since a shock 3-2 reverse to Blackburn Rovers in 2011, winning eight and drawing three of their year-ending fixtures since.