Welbeck bags brace as battling Brighton beat uninspired Liverpool
The start of the game on the south coast faced a 15-minute postponement, and the play struggled to find its rhythm even after the whistle blew, with an initial injury to Hugo Ekitike seeing the French player exit after less than 10 minutes and halting the match's momentum.
Curtis Jones stepped in for the forward while Liverpool failed to match the impressive display they delivered versus Galatasaray during their recent UEFA Champions League fixture, leading to their hesitant opening being capitalised on within the first 15 minutes.
A delivery from Ferdi Kadıoğlu on the left flank was directed across the goalmouth by Diego Gomez towards Danny Welbeck, who headed home at the back post for his 11th Premier League strike this term, establishing him as the leading English goalscorer in the league for the season.
In reply Liverpool mounted some pressure yet seemed without a central figure up front given the absences of Ekitike and Mohamed Salah, although former Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister's effort from a Dominik Szoboszlai delivery prompted a solid stop from Bart Verbruggen at his upright.
Arne Slot's side balanced on the edge of patience and sluggishness in their forward moves, but they levelled the score around the 30-minute mark following a clear mistake by the home team.
Lewis Dunk tried to guide a long clearance from Giorgi Mamardashvili back to his keeper, unaware of Milos Kerkez slipping behind the Brighton backline to intercept the ball and execute a fine chip over Verbruggen to equalise.
Fabian Hurzeler's squad returned for the second period with fresh energy, and although Ferdi Kadıoğlu along with Mats Wieffer squandered opportunities to take the lead again, Welbeck converted without issue.
Similar to Brighton's initial goal, this one stemmed from a left-sided cross, courtesy of Yankuba Minteh, which Jack Hinshelwood controlled neatly into Welbeck's reach for an easy finish, enduring a prolonged VAR review for offside.
The match became more expansive thereafter, featuring strong interventions from Mamardashvili to thwart Gomez and Minteh, alongside Verbruggen's block on a low effort from Jones.
Liverpool's lacklustre showing after the break showed little improvement, and the outcome might have slipped further away when Kaoru Mitoma skilfully manoeuvred into the penalty area to set up Hinshelwood, who unfortunately fluffed his shot with the target open.
Beyond a forceful attempt by Cody Gakpo that drew a capable stop from his national team colleague Verbruggen, Liverpool rarely threatened to claim a draw, now facing the possibility of trailing the top four by five points at the weekend's end.
Brighton's winning margin could have widened if not for Jones denying Yasin Ayari's attempt on target, yet the Seagulls claimed their fourth success in five recent matches, rising to eighth place.