Stefano Pioli ordered Milan to cut out "trivial mistakes" after a 2-2 draw at Lecce left the Rossoneri nine points behind runaway Serie A leaders Napoli.
Last season's champions trailed Lecce 2-0 after 23 minutes on Saturday, before Rafael Leao and Davide Calabria hauled them back to level terms.
An exciting final 20 minutes could have brought a winner for either team, yet there were to be no more goals, and while the point nudged Milan up to second place, that gap to Napoli will be difficult to overcome.
Head coach Pioli told DAZN: "In the first half, we missed everything we could possibly miss. We made unforced mistakes and the match became more difficult."
Theo Hernandez turned a cross from Federico Di Francesco into his own goal to give Lecce a third-minute lead, and Pioli said after the game: "We need to be more clear-headed."
Milan's haul of 38 points from 18 games points to a sturdy start to their title defence, with the caveat Napoli have made a roaring opening to the season and have won 15 of their opening 18 matches.
Pioli said: "We are in line with last season, but it is also true that in this phase we are getting much less than we would like. We can do better and avoid trivial mistakes.
"We have to recover our principles of play and do it continuously."
Leao has had a goal involvement in each of Milan's last four league games, the first time he has had such a run, and his season's total of 13 involvements (eight goals, five assists) in 17 appearances is five ahead of where he was after the same number of matches in 2021-22.
Pioli denied the approaching Supercoppa Italiana game against Inter was a distraction to Milan.
That trophy game is coming up on Wednesday, and Pioli said: "It's a straight match against a great opponent, so we'll do everything to be ready."
He hopes to have Ante Rebic available for that game in Riyadh after recent muscle injury trouble, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic could also be in line for a return before long, the Milan boss added.
Ibrahimovic has yet to play this season, having undergone knee surgery at the end of the Scudetto-winning campaign.
Marcus Rashford hit the winner and played a part – some might say – in Manchester United's first goal as the Red Devils beat City in Saturday's derby.
The in-form England international moved into early-career Cristiano Ronaldo territory by scoring in a seventh consecutive game for United, who have won nine in a row across all competitions.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Liverpool's campaign continued to unravel as they were battered 3-0 at Brighton and Hove Albion, and their neighbours Everton remain in deep relegation trouble after a home loss to fellow strugglers Southampton.
Another derby saw Nottingham Forest get the better of Leicester City, with Steve Cooper's team beginning to get a foothold in mid-table.
With the help of Opta data, Stats Perform examines key statistics from the Saturday's standout Premier League games.
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City: Making his Marc again
Rashford has been a shining light for United since returning from the World Cup, scoring in all seven games for Erik ten Hag's team.
He is the first United player since Ronaldo in March-April 2008 to put together such a streak, while his run of goals in nine consecutive games at Old Trafford makes him the club's first player since Teddy Sheringham in September-November 2000 to enjoy that level of home form.
Bruno Fernandes got the equaliser, after an opener from City's Jack Grealish, with Rashford not flagged offside in the build-up after chasing the ball but not getting a touch prior to his Portuguese team-mate lashing past Ederson.
Rashford's close-range winner soon after, in the 82nd minute, was set up by Alejandro Garnacho, who at 18 years and 197 days became the youngest player to provide an assist in a Premier League Manchester derby.
City had just one shot on target, their joint-fewest in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola.
Kevin De Bruyne set up Grealish's headed opener, reaching double figures in Premier League assists for a fifth season, with only Cesc Fabregas (6) doing so in more campaigns, but that was of no consolation as City saw their title hopes dented.
Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Liverpool: Worth the wait for Seagulls
Jurgen Klopp's reaction summed it up, when he said: "I think everybody with a Brighton shirt on or a Brighton heart enjoyed the game a lot and I don't think anybody with a Liverpool heart enjoyed it for a second."
This was a horror show for the Reds, suffering their first league defeat at Brighton since January 1961 (3-1). Liverpool had gone 10 unbeaten away to the Seagulls in the league before Solly March's double and Danny Welbeck's sublime goal left them reeling.
Liverpool have suffered six defeats now in 18 games in the competition this term, three times as many losses as they incurred in the entire 2021-22 Premier League campaign. It was a fifth league loss away from Anfield, their worst season total since also losing five in 2017-18. This season is not yet at its halfway point for Liverpool, who sit ninth.
This game kicked off at 3pm locally. It was the first Saturday 3pm league game Liverpool have lost since going down 2-0 to Hull in February 2017, ending a 32-game undefeated streak in that slot.
March has four goals in his last four games, which is as many as he managed in his first 156 in the Premier League.
Everton 1-2 Southampton: Ward-Prowse piles on misery for Lampard
Sitting second-bottom now, Everton are having a dismal time of it under Frank Lampard's leadership, losing four league games in a row at home for the first time since a seven-game streak in 1958. They are winless in seven in the league, their worst run since an eight-game sequence under Rafael Benitez in October-December 2021.
Amadou Onana put the hosts ahead, becoming the fourth Belgian player to score for Everton in the Premier League, after Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas and Marouane Fellaini.
But Saints captain James Ward-Prowse then took over, netting twice including the 16th direct free-kick goal of his Premier League career, putting him just two behind David Beckham's competition record.
It was his 12th such goal in away games, more than any player has managed in the Premier League, and only Matt Le Tissier (44) has managed more away goals in the Premier League era for Southampton than Ward-Prowse's haul of 28.
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Leicester City: Johnson's derby delight
Brennan Johnson hit both goals in the East Midlands showdown, doubling his Premier League tally for the season and becoming the second-youngest Forest player to score twice in a Premier League game (21y 236d). Roy Keane, who struck a double against Leeds in December 1992 (21y 117d), remains the youngest.
Morgan Gibbs-White, at 22 years and 352 days, became the youngest to have two assists in a Premier League game for Forest.
Leicester are free-falling, with this a fourth consecutive league defeat. Remarkably, it is not yet their worst run of the campaign, having lost six in a row in August and September.
They have yet to win a point this season from a losing position, the only Premier League team to fail on that count.
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji described the decision to not disallow Manchester United's first goal in Saturday's derby as a "joke".
Jack Grealish had seemingly set City en route to three points with his second-half opener, but Bruno Fernandes levelled in contentious fashion before Marcus Rashford clinched a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
City were furious with United's leveller because Rashford, who was offside, approached the ball but allowed Fernandes to take the shot.
The flag was initially raised to signal offside against Rashford, but referee Stuart Attwell overturned the decision having spoken to his assistant Darren Cann.
The fact Rashford opted against touching the ball and that he technically did not impede Akanji meant the England forward was not deemed to be interfering with play, therefore the goal counted.
Attwell's decision caused a stir on social media, with former professionals among those questioning the outcome, and Akanji is adamant it was the incorrect call.
"For me, the first goal is a joke that it's going to be allowed like this," he told the BBC.
"In that situation, I see Rashford is clearly offside, so I play him offside. He runs really to the last second and he stops when the ball is in front of him.
"He's right in front of Edi [Ederson] to score the goal and then he stops because Bruno is calling him from behind that he [Fernandes] is not in an offside position.
"I understand that he doesn't touch the ball, but he runs for like 30 metres, he's chasing the ball and then he stops. For me, it's clearly offside."
Defeat for City leaves them just a point above United and gives Arsenal the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points if they beat Tottenham in Sunday's north London derby.
The Professional Tennis Players Association is committed to equal pay for men and women at grand slam level, according to the man who teamed up with Novak Djokovic to launch the organisation.
Vasek Pospisil, whose on-court doubles efforts helped Canada win the Davis Cup for the first time in November, said the PTPA would "fight for both sides" in its efforts to improve players' prospects throughout the sport.
The breakaway union has caused controversy, with the ATP and WTA, which run the men's and women's tours, adamant they already have significant player representation when it comes to making decisions in the best interests of tennis.
Djokovic quit as president of the ATP player council to become the figurehead of the PTPA, which was launched at the height of the pandemic during the 2020 US Open.
There was initial criticism of the PTPA when no women appeared to be involved.
However, Pospisil said at the time discussions were ongoing, and ahead of the upcoming Australian Open, its first executive committee was unveiled, consisting of four men and four women.
Joining Djokovic and Pospisil are Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner, plus WTA players Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Zheng Saisai.
Pay has been equal at all the grand slams since 2007, when Wimbledon announced it would reward women the same amount it pays men.
Asked about equal pay at the four majors and the PTPA's position, Pospisil told Stats Perform: "From day one, we always knew that this would only be successful with the women, and that has always been our goal. And so we're really happy that we're gaining a lot of traction now on the women's side.
"Currently, there is equal pay at the grand slam level, I believe, so that's obviously amazing.
"It is a joint organisation, both men and women, and we'll do everything to fight for both sides.
"Obviously, they're separate tours. The WTA, ATP, and grand slams are joined, of course. So, the staff will have their hands full with trying to advocate for both sides.
"It's a unified player association for both men and women, and we're really proud of that and where we're going."
Those already involved, and those the PTPA will hope to attract, are being advised the union is aiming to bolster the rights – and at the bottom line, the earning potential – of all involved.
There is currently significantly more money on offer on the ATP tour than on the WTA circuit, which points to issues of inequality remaining in the sport.
It has been known in recent times for some high-profile tournaments, where tours converge, to pay its men's champion more than its title-winning woman. This is despite events on both tours being best-of-three-set matches, whereas in the slams women play best-of-three and men play best-of-five, a matter that has long been a trigger for equal-pay debate.
Pospisil believes the WTA has a "smart and passionate" group of eight on its ExCo and said the "energy was amazing" when the group met for dinner on Thursday in Melbourne.
"I just have such a good feeling after a few years of working on this," Pospisil said. "To finally be at the stage where we're ready to go, are launching, got everything we need, and we have amazing player board reps that honestly we couldn't be happier with."
Djokovic, a 21-time singles grand slam winner, is at the forefront, and Pospisil said the 35-year-old Serbian's role has been crucial.
"I feel like you need somebody that is at the top of the sport," Pospisil said. "So, I just think all the players and our organisation, we're very lucky that he's so supportive and that he's stuck his neck out and is fighting for what he believes in and what he believes is right."
Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed an agreement with Chelsea for Mykhaylo Mudryk is "very close".
The Blues are widely reported to have seen an £88.5million (€100m) bid accepted by the Ukrainian side for the winger, seemingly leapfrogging London rivals Arsenal to the front of the queue.
Mikel Arteta's side were said to have made progress towards a deal of their own in recent days but have been left in the lurch following Chelsea's move.
In a statement, Shakhtar said: "Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed Mykhaylo Mudryk's transfer to Chelsea today.
"Parties are very close to agreeing on the player's transfer to the club."
Mudryk previously expressed a desire to move to Arsenal and has dropped several hints on social media this month, with the Premier League leaders thought to be his preferred destination.
However, that prospect may now be off the table unless the Gunners up their offer, with Chelsea firmly leading the chase.
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.
Milan fought back from two down to draw 2-2 at Lecce in Serie A on Saturday, but the comeback did little to distract from their continuing slump.
Stefano Pioli's men threw away a 2-0 lead against Roma last Sunday and were then knocked out of the Coppa Italia by 10-man Torino in midweek.
Things looked to be going from bad to worse for them at Stadio Via del Mare, with Theo Hernandez's early own goal added to by a Federico Baschirotto header in the 23rd minute.
A Rafael Leao snapshot pulled one back, before Davide Calabria equalised 20 minutes from the end, and although the champions could not complete the turnaround, the draw was enough to put Milan second.
The Rossoneri were facing an uphill battle within three minutes as Federico Di Francesco saw his cross turned in by Hernandez.
The lively Di Francesco then shot agonisingly wide either side of Tommaso Pobega shooting at Wladimiro Falcone and Olivier Giroud blazing the rebound over, with Lecce largely in control.
A deserved second did arrive before the half-hour, though, as Baschirotto was left with a free header in the box following Morten Hjulmand's deep cross.
Valentin Gendry should have followed suit a few moments later when inexplicably heading off target after yet more threatening play by Di Francesco.
Milan got a lifeline just before the hour when Leao latched on to a rebound, shifted the ball onto his right foot and beat Falcone at his near post.
Calabria then got on the end of a Giroud header to nod in the leveller 12 minutes later, but a later winner was not forthcoming from either side despite a gripping finale.
Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United are "closing the gap slightly" on Manchester City following their dramatic derby win, but feels the gulf between the clubs is "still huge".
United came from behind to take the derby spoils after a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, where Jack Grealish's header was cancelled out by a quickfire double from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
Erik ten Hag's side closed the gap on their second-placed neighbours to a single point, where they are now just six behind leaders Arsenal.
Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles and the Champions League with United, believes his former club still have a long way to go before matching their rivals, however.
"They're closing the gap slightly, but there's still a major way to go," Ferdinand said in his role as a BT Sport pundit. "I think the gulf between the clubs is still huge.
"Don't let this result take that away or let things become unrealistic. Man United have still got a way to go, but they're on the right road now. I felt something in this ground today that I haven't felt for a very long time.
"There was a belief, there was a connection between the players on the pitch and the fans again, because there's a committed team out there who are willing to fight, who won't fold under pressure, who won't fold when there's a bad spell in the game.
"That can only be good for the future of this team. The manager has to have huge compliments right now because he's building a team that are up for the fight."
Meanwhile, Paul Scholes – an 11-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford – feels United demonstrated their title credentials, but he knows the most important stage of the season is still to come.
"We've learned that United can beat a big team when the pressure is on, when they needed to," he said. "You asked before if they're in the title race – I think you have to say they are.
"If they keep people fit, they're one point behind City now. City, to me, are still the favourites, they're still the best team in this league. It's okay winning games now, but it's March, April time when it's so hard to win those games.
"Arsenal are doing really well, they look a really good team. Injuries could affect them, and they're inexperienced. They've got a manager who hasn't won a league title, players who haven't won trophies really.
"There are 20, 21 games to go. There's so far to go – this could change by February."
The second round of matches in the Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball Winter League began as scheduled at 6:00 pm on Wednesday at the National Arena to a very involved and noisy set of spectators, with defending champion Horizon getting the better of the Waves and Storm defeating Rivers in contrasting fashion.
Horizon continued its winning ways and is now the sole leader with two wins after two rounds. They were pressured by the Waves who lead the first two quarters 24-16 and 37-34 and well into the third quarter before drawing level 54 a piece, and then inching past them with 4:42 to go in the fourth quarter and take the match 86-79 in a ding dong battle between the teams.
The top performers for Horizon were MVP for the previous competition Bobby Gray (22 points), Rasheed Maynard (17 points) and Nicholai Brown (11 points).
Cleon Morgan, coach of Horizon was pleased with the result "we started out slow compared to the previous game but we had a strategy even though the opponents were leading but the objective was to chip it little by little as we go along. Going into the third quarter we were also down but we started to chip it. We adjusted the defense a little, it worked for us and so we were able to pull off a victory today (Wednesday)."
The Waves came into the match on a high from its win against the Rivers in the first round. They were quick on the court with some smart plays but were eventually pegged back by Horizon. Waves' top scorers were Cameron Burhannan (40 points), Marin Dixon Green (14 points) and Lushane Wilson (10 points).
The other match-up pitched the Rivers against the Storm. They were looking for their first win, having both lost to Waves and Horizon respectively in the first round. The Storm came out blazing with a 35/7 first quarter but the Rivers outscored them 37-19 in the second quarter to close out the half at 44-54. The Storm re-grouped in the third quarter to extend their lead to 17 and end the quarter 79-62 in their favor after allowing the Rivers to come within three points in the quarter. The Rivers made a run 33-24 again in the fourth quarter but could not catch the Storm who posted 102 for the win to Rivers' 96.
The Storm's Brandon "BDot" Armstrong (31 points), Jayrn Johnson (25 points), Da'Rell Domine (17 points) and Roshane O'Brian (14 points) were the top scorers, while Ricky Shaford (27 points), Anthony Ottley (27 points) and Tre Brewer (25 points) were the main contributors the Rivers' score.
According to the Storm's coach Oneil Brown who spoke after the match, "I feel great. After the first game I must show respect to the guys who came back after the first game loss. They showed character and come out here and changed the way they played. This is a pro league, this is what pro teams do. We made adjustments and we changed the entire thing yesterday at practice because the first game did not work. We came out here with a plan and my team executed the plan and I am grateful for the victory." He credited top scorer BDot and Johnson and the entire team who stepped up their performance, for winning the match.
The four-team competition roster boasts overseas based pros from the USA, Canada and Barbados and fifty percent Jamaican amateurs.
The next set of matches on the four-team schedule will see Horizon taking on the winless Rivers while Storm will battle Waves on Saturday at the National Arena. The first match is scheduled for start at 6:00 pm while the second match will start at 8:00 pm.
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."
Iga Swiatek had a reminder of the stellar rivalry that never was when she practised alongside Ash Barty on Saturday ahead of the Australian Open.
Australian Barty is the reigning women's singles champion at Melbourne Park, but she retired just weeks after lifting the trophy last year.
That shock decision from the then 25-year-old saw a figurehead of the WTA Tour make way, and Swiatek has taken her place as the undisputed world number one, saying Barty has inspired her to hit those heights.
The prospect of Barty and an ever-improving Swiatek fighting for the tour's biggest titles was dashed, and they only ever played twice, with Barty winning both times.
Barty announced on January 6 she is pregnant, and she appears to have no inclination to perform a retirement U-turn.
"For sure, when she retired, I felt like she still had the best tennis out there," Swiatek said after their light-hearted court session.
"So, I was pretty sad that I'm not going to be able to compete against her and maybe win.
"But on the other hand, she gave me a lot in terms of my motivation and my kind of willingness to practise even more and to have more variety on court.
"When I played against her, I felt like she just has all these different game styles and slice. Even in her book, she says she has five types of slice. I don't know how that's possible. I still haven't figured out only one type.
"I have huge respect for Ash. She really gave me huge motivation at the beginning of last season to get even better. I'm kind of grateful for that."
Swiatek will play the first night session match on Rod Laver Arena at this year's championships, taking on a familiar foe in Germany's Jule Niemeier.
At the US Open last September, the heavy-hitting Niemeier led by a set and a break against Swiatek in the fourth round, only to let the Pole back in and eventually surrender the third set 6-0. Swiatek went on to win the title, her third grand slam trophy success.
Niemeier also reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, and Swiatek is wary of the opening test that awaits.
"We played at the US Open, and you saw how intense that match was, how tough," Swiatek said. "It's not going to be easy.
"But on the other hand, any match in a grand slam is always more intense and more stressful than other tournaments. I'll be ready for it.
"It's nice also that we played not so long ago, so I can take a lot from that match. Now I know how her ball feels on the racket. So, we'll see. But she has the same."
Pep Guardiola appeared to suggest Manchester City "cannot win" the Premier League title this season, but he later explained his focus was simply on the team's performances for now.
City remain five points behind leaders Arsenal following a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in a dramatic derby on Saturday.
That loss followed City's EFL Cup elimination against Southampton in midweek, after which Guardiola outlined a need for his team to "recover who you are".
"The last thing I'm worried about is titles, these kind of things," he said ahead of facing United, and Guardiola seemingly accepted defeat in City's pursuit of Arsenal after the match.
"I don't care about the Premier League and the Carabao Cup," he told BT Sport. "We cannot win. We won a lot, so it's not a problem."
But the Catalan coach was asked about these comments in his news conference and recognised he does still care about the Premier League title.
"Come on, of course I care who wins the Premier League," he replied. "But right now, after Southampton, if we don't win, we don't win.
"We're not going to win the next 25 years everything. We fight, because we saw today we're going to fight and play to win, but sometimes football is like that. You don't win.
"The manager, Erik [ten Hag], or the people say how good [United] are, and they deserve it, of course. Everyone has his point of view.
"We want to try, but number one is behaving in this way. Afterwards, sometimes it happens, sometimes not. What I know is all the time what we have to do is be better and better and better to win in this league.
"We lost the Carabao Cup three days ago; we lost it. But it's not about losing the Carabao Cup, it's the way we lose the game. This is why I was sad, really, really sad."
Arsenal will move eight points clear of the champions if they beat Tottenham on Sunday, while United are now just a point behind their rivals in third.
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.
Rafael Nadal has denied he has already decided to follow Roger Federer into retirement after this year's French Open.
The Spaniard wil turn 37 in June, and calling time on his career at the grand slam he has won a record 14 times might be the ideal way to sign off.
Making predictions for the season, Germany's Alexander Zverev told Eurosport: "Unfortunately, I think Rafa will retire at Roland Garros. I don't want it to happen, but I think he will have a great tournament, potentially win it and say goodbye."
That would mean Nadal joining his former great rival Federer in waving goodbye to a glorious career after the Swiss played for the last time at the Laver Cup in September. Nadal's tears that night in London pointed to a realisation his own time on tour was also nearing its end.
However, Nadal denies Zverev has been given any encouragement to throw out such a specific retirement suggestion, which was revealed ahead of the Australian Open.
Nadal is the defending champion in Melbourne, and he also took the Paris slam last year to reach 22 for his career, putting him one ahead of Novak Djokovic.
"I don't know what's going to happen in six months," Nadal said, quoted by Eurosport.
"I have a very good relationship with Zverev, but not enough to confess something like that to him.
"The reality is that I'm here to play tennis, try to have a great 2023, fight for everything that I have struggled throughout my career, and I don't think about my retirement.
“You think about it week after week because that's how you show me at every press conference. But I will answer the same every time you ask me."
Nadal has lost six of his last seven tour-level matches, suggesting he might struggle to make serious inroads in his title defence, which starts against Britain's Jack Draper on Monday.
Asked if he felt vulnerable, Nadal said: "Yeah, of course. Without a doubt. I have been losing more than usual, so that's part of the business.
"I think I am humble enough to accept that situation and just work with what I have today. I need to build again all this momentum. I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. But it's true that I have been losing more than usual.
"I already have been here for three weeks, practising every day with the conditions, with the best players. That helps a lot in general terms.
"My situation, I don't know what can happen on Monday, but my personal feeling, without a doubt, is better now than three weeks ago, in general terms."
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