Liverpool slumped to a 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, after a late VAR call gifted the home side a penalty, with Pascal Gross scoring the equaliser from the penalty spot.

While there were signs of improvement from the defeat against Atalanta in midweek, it was another disappointing result for Jurgen Klopp's side, even though it does see them return to the top of the Premier League for the time being.

One bright spark from the game, however, was the performance of centre-back Nathaniel Phillips, who was restored to the starting lineup after missing the last few games.

The 23-year-old was making just his second appearance of the season for the Reds but showed that he can be a solid replacement for the likes of Joel Matip and Fabinho should Klopp opt to rest either of those two, as he did with the Cameroonian international during this game.

As per SofaScore, Phillips earned a 7.4 rating for his display against the Seagulls, which ranked him as Liverpool's best player on the pitch.

The Englishman was rarely bested in the game, as of the 16 duels he was involved in, he was able to win 12, whilst no Brighton player was able to dribble past him during the 90 minutes.

He also made three clearances, blocked one shot, made two interceptions and four tackles during the game, in what was an excellent defensive display from the former Stuggart loanee.

Whilst his style of play may seem more like an old-fashioned centre-back, rather than the delicate quality shown by other Reds centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Gomez, he also showed himself to be adept on the ball during the game at the Amex Stadium

He completed 44/55 of his passes, resulting in a pass accuracy of 80%, whilst five of his 11 long balls found their mark.

After his previous Premier League display in the win against West Ham, Klopp was full of praise for the youngster, saying:

"He’s a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything.

“He’s not easy on the eye, he’s not Messi but who cares? In the air, he’s a monster! He was incredible. “For the first game, I think everyone can imagine how nervy that must be after a long wait." (per talkSPORT)

Therefore, it was a solid display from Phillips, and arguably he should keep his place for Liverpool's next match when they take on Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday next week.

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