Liverpool missed a chance to top the Premier League against Brighton.
Jordan Henderson broke the deadlock within just four minutes as he met a Mohamed Salah cutback with a rifled shot from just inside the penalty area.
The Reds’ lead was doubled later in the first half as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain floated an inch-perfect delivery to the far post for Sadio Mane to convert.
But the Seagulls struck back shortly before half time as Enock Mwepu reduced the deficit with a lofted long-range shot which caught out Alisson off his line.
Leandro Trossard pulled the visitors level after the interval with a close-range finish after being teed up by one-time Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Sub-par Reds go off the boil again
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have extended their place to the history books.
Equalling a club record of 24 games unbeaten in all competitions should be a cause for celebration, not least given it was last achieved over 32 years ago.
But Anfield’s collective heave at the final whistle confirmed that there would be no festivities around that milestone after being held by a resilient Brighton.
An afternoon which began with the Reds coasting to top of the pile in the Premier League title race ended with them instead ceding ground to Chelsea.
Their early first-half intensity had been rewarded with a two-goal head start and threatened to produce a repeat of the 5-0 rout over Manchester United.
However Klopp’s players took their foot off the pedal while still firmly in the ascendancy, just as they did in last weekend’s second half at Old Trafford.
Admittedly two disallowed goals helped change the course of this game, but Liverpool can have no excuses after easing up in entirely the wrong moments.
Salah a master of all trades
Mohamed Salah has proved himself to be a master in goal poaching of late.
Heading into this game with 15 goals in his last 12 matches, it was inevitable that the free-scoring Egyptian’s stock in trade would be a focal point again.
Yet with the exception of disallowed second-half strike, Brighton managed to successfully nullify Salah in front of goal and end his prolific vein of form.
The 29-year-old’s imperious run had to end sooner or later and when it did, he would need to diversify into more than merely being a ruthless marksman.
Such was his productivity down the right side, Marc Cucurella was almost leaving Anfield with an image of Salah running at full tilt seared on his brain.
Despite drawing a blank, the forward showed he can be a captain of industry as much as a goal-getter with his tidy first-half assist for Jordan Henderson.
A sixth assist of the Premier League season may not garner headlines in the same way as his goals but Salah’s selflessness is finally shining through.
Opportunity knocks for Ox
Naby Keita’s torrid injury record at Liverpool shows no signs of abating.
Just when it appeared the midfielder had finally overcome his problems, after being stretchered off at Old Trafford last weekend, he broke down once more.
Keita’s withdrawal due to a hamstring issue opened the door for a teammate who has, equally, battled against ailment in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The former England international’s impact was near-instantaneous as he supplied an inch-perfect delivery for Sadio Mane to double Liverpool’s lead.
But that aside, he did little to justify opportunities denied to him by Keita’s return to form, if not fitness, and the rising stocks of Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones.
Arguably, Oxlade-Chamberlain could not ask for a better time to cement himself back in Klopp’s first-team thoughts with several challengers laid low.
Keita and Elliott are currently sidelined while Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara working their way back to full fitness after suffering injury issue of their own.
A more opportune and rare moment for Oxlade-Chamberlain to stake a claim for a starring role might not present itself again in his faltering Anfield career.