Arsenal have completed the signing of Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £27million.

The Belgium international has agreed a long-term deal at Emirates Stadium, which is thought to run through until July 2027.

Premier League leaders Arsenal confirmed the news on their official website on Friday, with the versatile midfielder eligible to play against Manchester United this weekend.

"It is good work from everyone at the club to complete the signing of Leandro," Mikel Arteta said. 

"He is a versatile player with high technical ability, intelligence and a great deal of experience in the Premier League and at international level.

"Leandro strengthens our squad as we head into the second part of the season and we’re all looking forward to working with him."

Arsenal made no secret of their desire to bring in attacking reinforcements this month, with Mykhaylo Mudryk initially seen to be their primary target.

But Chelsea beat them to the signing of the Ukraine international last week despite Mudryk appearing eager to move to north London.

Shakhtar Donetsk confirmed Arsenal matched the reported £89m (€100m) bid of Chelsea in monetary terms, but they felt the variables and bonuses in the Blues' offer were more realistic.

However, some might feel Trossard is a less risky signing and represents better value.

Arsenal are thought to have been keen on Trossard since before he joined Brighton from Genk in 2019, and at the Amex Stadium he has blossomed into a high-level winger who offers both a goalscoring threat and creativity.

Since the start of last season, Trossard is one of just seven players to score at least 14 Premier League goals (excluding penalties) and create more than 65 chances in open play – the others are Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Bruno Fernandes.

Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham had also been credited with an interest, though recent reports suggested a £12m bid by Spurs was "laughed off".

Trossard had been keen to leave Brighton after falling out with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who criticised the winger's attitude earlier this month after taking him out of the team.

Arsenal have completed the signing of Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £27million.

The Belgium international has agreed a long-term deal at Emirates Stadium, which is thought to run through until July 2027.

Arsenal made no secret of their desire to bring in attacking reinforcements this month, with Mykhaylo Mudryk initially seen to be their primary target.

But Chelsea beat them to the signing of the Ukraine international last week despite Mudryk appearing eager to move to north London.

Shakhtar Donetsk confirmed Arsenal matched the reported £89m (€100m) bid of Chelsea in monetary terms, but they felt the variables and bonuses in the Blues' offer were more realistic.

However, some might feel Trossard is a less risky signing and represents better value.

Arsenal are thought to have been keen on Trossard since before he joined Brighton from Genk in 2019, and at the Amex Stadium he has blossomed into a high-level winger who offers both a goalscoring threat and creativity.

Since the start of last season, Trossard is one of just seven players to score at least 14 Premier League goals (excluding penalties) and create more than 65 chances in open play – the others are Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Bruno Fernandes.

Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham had also been credited with an interest, though recent reports suggested a £12m bid by Spurs was "laughed off".

Trossard had been keen to leave Brighton after falling out with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who criticised the winger's attitude earlier this month after taking him out of the team.

Chelsea may not be finished with their January signings, reportedly joining Tottenham in the pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard.

Trossard, 28, is in his fourth season with the Seagulls, and after never scoring more than eight Premier League goals in each of his previous three campaigns, he is on pace to set a new personal-best with seven in his first 16 appearances.

His exploits this season have included a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool, as well as goals against Manchester City and Chelsea, but he recently butted heads with head coach Roberto De Zerbi and has been left out of Brighton's last two matchday squads.

The Belgium international with 24 senior caps has also had his agent announce his intention to leave the club this month, triggering plenty of interest from fellow Premier League sides.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA WANT TROSSARD TO RECREATE MAGIC WITH POTTER

According to The Mirror, Chelsea are understood to now be a main player along with Tottenham and also Arsenal as the three clubs compete for Trossard's services.

Trossard had only six months remaining on his contract on the south coast, before Brighton reportedly activated a 12-month extension to ensure he would not be able to leave the club on a free transfer.

It is believed Chelsea have the most spending power of the trio, even after their £88.5million purchase of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Trossard remains a favourite of his former boss Graham Potter.

His asking price has been set at £25m, while the report adds any potential deal for fellow Brighton talent 21-year-old Moises Caicedo – also of interest to Chelsea as well as Liverpool – would cost "more than double" that £25m figure.

ROUND-UP

– The Mirror is reporting West Ham would like to bring in 29-year-old Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire on loan.

– According to Sky Sports, Arsenal have enquired about 23-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, but have been told he will not be available this month and will cost €100m (£88.5m) at the end of the season.

– Barcelona are hoping to secure 32-year-old Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer at the end of the season, per the Telegraph.

– Fichajes is reporting Arsenal will attempt to sign Chelsea's Raheem Sterling after failing to land the 28-year-old England international prior to his move to Stamford Bridge last year.

– According to The Independent, Real Madrid and Juventus are monitoring United 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho after he rejected the club's most recent contract extension.

Arsenal have reportedly made an effort to assess the availability of Barcelona forwards Ferran Torres and Raphinha.

Raphinha arrived at the club in July in a €55million move from Leeds United, but he has struggled to break into Xavi's best side, making only seven starts in his 15 appearances.

Torres is in a similar situation after Barcelona signed him from Manchester City for €55m just over 12 months ago, making six starts from his 16 LaLiga outings this season.

With Arsenal's pursuit of Mykhaylo Mudryk getting hijacked by Chelsea, the duo are now being considered as alternatives, but the asking price may not be much lower.

TOP STORY – ARSENAL TURN TO BARCELONA AFTER MUDRYK DISAPPOINTMENT

According to 90min, Arsenal director Edu reached out to Barcelona and engaged in "exploratory talks" about what it would take to secure Torres or Raphinha before the end of the month.

The report also says that Arsenal have enquired about Brighton and Hove Albion duo Leandro Trossard and Kaoru Mitoma, as well as breakout Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is believed to be unavailable.

Meanwhile, Sport is reporting Barcelona have demanded €100m (£88m) as a starting point for any discussions about Raphinha, but there is no indication about what Torres could cost.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider is reporting Chelsea will listen to offers for 28-year-old England international Raheem Sterling.

– According to Foot Mercato, West Ham have submitted a £26.5m (€30m) offer for 23-year-old Lorient striker Terem Moffi, who would prefer to move to fellow Ligue 1 side Nice, but their bid remains insufficient.

– Arsenal are interested in 18-year-old Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda, per the Telegraph, while Tuttomercatoweb adds Juventus have also enquired and been informed of a €15m asking price.

– According to Fichajes, Manchester United and Arsenal are both pursuing 22-year-old Real Betis winger Luiz Henrique.

– Calciomercato is reporting Arsenal are preparing a £71m (€80m) bid for 22-year-old Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

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."

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."

Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United this week has put plenty of clubs on alert.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is a wanted commodity, given his quality and sudden availability.

Ronaldo and United parted ways with a mutual termination of his contract after his explosive interview with TalkTV.

TOP STORY – SAUDI AND BRAZILIAN GIANTS TO MOVE FOR RONALDO

Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and Brazilian giants Flamengo are among the clubs queuing to sign free agent Cristiano Ronaldo according to reports.

Sky Sports claims that Al Hilal are exploring a deal with the Portuguese, who had declined a £305m bid from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club in the off-season.

Brazilian outlet Veja reports that the 2022 Copa Libertadores winners intend to formalize a proposal to Ronaldo's representatives, although an offer has not yet been made, nor have talks commenced.

ROUND-UP 

- Football Insider reports that Chelsea are set to open talks with Brighton and Hove Albion's Belgian forward Leandro Trossard with his contract to expire at the end of season. New Blues boss Graham Potter knows Trossard well from his time at Brighton.

- Chelsea are ready to swoop for Manchester United target Diogo Costa, having made contact with him, according to Relevo. The goalkeeper recently re-signed with Porto and has a €75 million (£64.5m) release clause in his contract.

- Amid talk that Chelsea will try to sell Romelu Lukaku at the end of this season, SkySport claims Inter will extend the Belgian forward's loan for another year.

- Torino's Ivorian defender Wilfried Singo could snub interest from Juventus to remain with his current club, reports Calciomercato.

- Fabrizio Romano claims that Scottish champions Celtic are in talks with Canada international Alistair Johnston, with personal terms already being discussed. The right-back is currently with MLS club Montreal.

- QPR are anticipating the departure of manager Michael Beale to take over Rangers, claims Talk Sport. The Gers sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst earlier this week.

Do you want to head into the World Cup break top of your fantasy league? Well, you're running out of time!

This weekend will be the penultimate round of games before a Premier League hiatus for Qatar 2022, with real-life teams aiming to get themselves in as strong a position as possible ahead of the Boxing Day resumption.

On the fantasy football front, given how tricky and unpredictable everything is likely to be after the World Cup, this is arguably a vital couple of weeks.

That's where Stats Perform hopes to help. They have delved into the Opta numbers to identify four players who appear smart choices beyond your obvious picks such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

Danny Ward (Everton v Leicester City)

This might sound like a rogue choice given he conceded 22 goals in Leicester's first seven league games this term, but the Foxes have improved defensively of late.

That's highlighted by the fact Ward has kept clean sheets in four of his past six appearances in the Premier League, with no one matching that figure since the start of October.

In his first seven games, Ward let in 4.7 goals more than he should have according to Opta, but his goals prevented since stands at 1.0 – he's certainly turned his form around.

Kieran Trippier (Southampton v Newcastle United)

Obviously, the trick to picking defenders in fantasy football is choosing those who are likely to keep clean sheets and also able to offer a threat going forward – Trippier is marking himself out as the ideal candidate.

Since his first Newcastle game in the Premier League, he is one of just five defenders to reach five goal involvements and contribute to at least seven clean sheets. Trippier's also played the fewest minutes of those players.

Six of those clean sheets have been kept this season, with Newcastle's defensive solidity impressing pundits, while his 31 chances created is a Premier League-high for defenders, highlighting his attacking threat.

Leandro Trossard (Wolves v Brighton and Hove Albion)

It's been a peculiar season in general for Brighton, though Trossard's form has been one of few constants.

The Seagulls will hope that last weekend's battering of their former manager Graham Potter's Chelsea side will bring momentum, and that could see Trossard – arguably in the former of his Premier League career – become even livelier.

After all, only four players have more goals (seven) than the Belgian this term, with his record of a goal involvement every 126 minutes roughly twice as good as his previous best over a full campaign (one every 255 minutes).

Callum Wilson (Southampton v Newcastle United)

Eddie Howe has attracted a lot of praise for making Newcastle sound defensively, but they also continue to possess a potent attacking unit and Wilson is central to that.

Not only does he have eight goal involvements to his name this term (six scored, one assisted), Wilson's record of one goal every 117 minutes in the Premier League in 2022 (936 minutes) is his second-best return over a calendar year in the top flight after 2015, when he only played 543 minutes.

He travels to Southampton with huge confidence, having had a hand in three goals against Aston Villa last time out, the first time he's managed that in over two years.

Graham Potter suffered a crushing first defeat as Chelsea head coach on his return to former club Brighton and Hove Albion, who claimed a thrilling 4-1 win at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

Potter was aiming to become the first English boss in Chelsea's history to go unbeaten in his first 10 games, but the Seagulls were ravenous as they earned new coach Roberto De Zerbi his maiden win.

Chelsea's defeat was essentially confirmed by half-time after Leandro Trossard's early strike was added to by own goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah.

Kai Havertz pulled one back just after half-time, but magic was in short supply for Potter and the Blues as Pascal Gross added gloss to the scoreline late on.

De Zerbi's side were straight on the front foot and scored in just the fifth minute.

Kaoru Mitoma's incisive run was followed by an intricate pass into the box for Trossard, who showed exceptional composure to round Kepa Arrizabalaga and slam home.

It was 2-0 soon after, as Loftus-Cheek miscued a clearance from a corner and found his own net.

Moises Caicedo was denied by the post just after the half-hour mark, but Brighton still managed to extend their lead before the break – Chalobah poking Pervis Estupinan's pass beyond Kepa.

Potter withdrew Kepa for Edouard Mendy at the break and Chelsea quickly got themselves a lifeline – Havertz nodding in Conor Gallagher's cross.

The goal was a precursor to prolonged Chelsea pressure, but no comeback followed and Brighton got a fourth in stoppage time, Gross pouncing on the rebound after Julio Enciso tested Mendy's palms.

Newcastle United have reportedly expressed their interest in signing out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio.

Asensio, 26, debuted for Madrid back in 2016, racking up 244 appearances and 50 goals across all club competitions in the seven seasons since.

However, despite tallying a career-high 10 LaLiga goals in the 2021-22 campaign, Asensio has been relegated to a bench role this season, and will be a free agent next year if he is not offered a new contract.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE HOPE TO LURE ASENSIO TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

With Asensio in the last year of his contract, Milan have been the team most closely linked with the Spanish international, until Calciomercato added that Newcastle have thrown their hat into the ring.

Despite soon being available on a free transfer, Asensio's contract demands will likely rule out a number of high-profile interested parties, but with Newcastle's new spending power and their inability to land some key targets, he should be well within their financial capabilities.

Asensio is primed to represent Spain at the World Cup, with a report from AS claiming he hopes to earn a new Madrid contract with some impressive performances.

ROUND UP:

– Tottenham target Weston McKennie will be allowed to leave Juventus at the end of the season, according to Calciomercato.

– The 'Here We Go' podcast claims the agent of Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix is exploring options for next season, with Manchester United said to have strong interest in the 22-year-old.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Lazio will look to bring in another striker in January to help cover for injured star Ciro Immobile, with Sampdoria's Francesco Caputo named as a likely target.

– 90min is reporting both Chelsea and Newcastle United are investigating a move for Brighton's Leandro Trossard, with former Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter at Chelsea and former Seagulls sporting director Dan Ashworth now at Newcastle.

– United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich are all said to be weighing up moves for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, although the Nigerian's manager claims he is happy in Italy.

Gabriel Jesus is setting the standard that is driving Arsenal's early-season charge at the top of the Premier League, and he came up trumps in his first north London derby.

Arsenal's win over Tottenham came in Saturday's early game and was followed by plenty of drama later, as Liverpool were held by Brighton and Hove Albion in a rip-roaring match at Anfield featuring a Leandro Trossard hat-trick.

Newcastle United earned a second win of the season, brushing off Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Graham Potter's Chelsea had substitute Conor Gallagher to thank for their late winner at Crystal Palace.

With goals and drama in abundance, here Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Ton up for Kane, but it's Partey time for Arsenal after derby win

Harry Kane became the first Premier League player to reach 100 away goals in the competition, but that was scant consolation for Tottenham after this derby defeat.

Arsenal were able to celebrate a third successive home league win over Spurs – the first time that has happened since 2013 – and they are unbeaten at home in this fixture for 12 games now (W8 D4).

It was a win to savour for Arsenal, with Thomas Partey's opening goal rounding off a 21-pass move, going down as the Gunner's sixth goal since December 26, 2019 to have come from a sequence of 20 or more passes. Only Liverpool and Manchester City have had more in that time. 

Jesus restored the Gunners' lead after Kane's penalty brought Spurs level, with Arsenal's close-season signing from City having managed five goals and three assists already in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (12) has had more goal involvements in the early weeks of this season.

It fell to Granit Xhaka to put the seal on the win, after Emerson Royal was sent off. The Arsenal midfielder grabbed his second Premier League goal of the season, with this the first campaign where he has managed more than one league strike since he netted four times in the 2018-19 season.

Liverpool 3-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Trossard heroics stun Reds

Leandro Trossard became just the third opposing player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Anfield, joining former Coventry City winger Peter Ndlovu and ex-Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin in that curious club. Arshavin famously hit four in a 4-4 draw in April 2009, the highest-scoring Premier League draw at Liverpool's home ground.

Saturday's feat meant Belgium international Trossard became the first Brighton player to score a Premier League hat-trick, and it left Liverpool four points behind the Seagulls after seven games each, with this game quite the baptism for new boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Liverpool have just two wins from seven games, and they were thankful for Roberto Firmino's sharp finishing as he scored twice, taking his tally for the season to five Premier League goals, all coming at Anfield. He scored five across the 2021-22 season, all away from home.

Mohamed Salah remains stuck on two goals in this campaign but he marked his 200th Premier League appearance with a 50th assist when he set up Firmino to trim Brighton's lead to 2-1 in the first half. Salah becomes just the third African player to reach 50 assists in the competition, after Didier Drogba (55) and Riyad Mahrez (51).

Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea: Gallagher returns to rock Eagles

Conor Gallagher came off the bench to deliver a 90th-minute knockout blow with Chelsea's winner against the side they loaned him to last season.

It meant Crystal Palace's losing run against Chelsea extended to 10 Premier League matches, and also boosted the Blues' record to nine wins in their last 10 away London derbies against all teams.

New Chelsea boss Graham Potter watched on in his first Premier League game since joining from Brighton, and he saw former Barcelona and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mark his league debut for the visitors with a first-half equaliser. Aubameyang also scored in his first game for Arsenal (against Everton in February 2018).

Odsonne Edouard's opener in the seventh minute was the earliest goal Chelsea have conceded in a Premier League away game since January 2021, when Wilfred Ndidi scored for Leicester City in the sixth minute.

Fulham 1-4 Newcastle United: Magpies take flight thanks to Almiron's capital double

Miguel Almiron had been Newcastle's home boy of late, with his last seven Premier League goals coming at St James' Park, so Saturday's double at Craven Cottage bucked a trend.

A fine volley followed by a close-range finish from the Paraguayan helped Newcastle to their joint-biggest victory under Eddie Howe in the Premier League (also 3-0 vs Norwich City in April), and a biggest league win in London since beating Fulham 4-0 in May 2019.

Almiron last scored away from home in the Premier League in another 4-1 win for Newcastle – against Howe's Bournemouth in July 2020.

Fulham were hindered by a red card for Nathaniel Chalobah after seven minutes and 26 seconds, the earliest a player has been sent off for the club in the Premier League since Ian Pearce against Palace in October 2004 (sixth minute).

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi reflected on a "crazy game" after seeing his team draw 3-3 with Liverpool in his first Premier League match in charge.

De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter after the latter joined Chelsea last month and a Leandro Trossard hat-trick ensured Brighton left Anfield with a deserved point.

His side could have gone home with all three, with Alisson on hand to deny Trossard and Danny Welbeck further punishing a ramshackle Liverpool defence.

Trossard's third strike ultimately only proved enough to snatch a draw after Roberto Firmino's double and Adam Webster's own goal cancelled out the Belgium international's early brace, and De Zerbi was full of pride at his team's display.

De Zerbi told BBC Sport: "A crazy game. I am happy and proud for my players and my club.

"There was a possibility to win the game but Liverpool is a fantastic team. I knew before the game it could be difficult and it was very difficult.

"Of course, the point for us is really important because Liverpool at the end of the day are Liverpool but we had a lot of chances to score the goals and if we had won the game I wouldn't have felt like we had stolen anything here.

"In that moment, I didn't think we had to win the game. It is 90 minutes plus additional time at Anfield."

Brighton had only six shots, though all of them were on target. Despite the overall performance and a positive result, De Zerbi sees room for improvement.

"We have to learn how to improve with the ball possession and to increase our ball speed and it is up to us to decide it," the former Sassuolo boss added.

"It is really hard to control the game in the Premier League - only Manchester City is doing that. Our target is to start to control much more of the game."

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi reflected on a "crazy game" after seeing his team draw 3-3 with Liverpool in his first Premier League match in charge.

De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter after the latter joined Chelsea last month and a Leandro Trossard hat-trick ensured Brighton left Anfield with a deserved point.

His side could have gone home with all three, with Alisson on hand to deny Trossard and Danny Welbeck further punishing a ramshackle Liverpool defence.

Trossard's third strike ultimately only proved enough to snatch a draw after Roberto Firmino's double and Adam Webster's own goal cancelled out the Belgium international's early brace, and De Zerbi was full of pride at his team's display.

De Zerbi told BBC Sport: "A crazy game. I am happy and proud for my players and my club.

"There was a possibility to win the game but Liverpool is a fantastic team. I knew before the game it could be difficult and it was very difficult.

"Of course, the point for us is really important because Liverpool at the end of the day are Liverpool but we had a lot of chances to score the goals and if we had won the game I wouldn't have felt like we had stolen anything here.

"In that moment, I didn't think we had to win the game. It is 90 minutes plus additional time at Anfield."

Brighton had only six shots, though all of them were on target. Despite the overall performance and a positive result, De Zerbi sees room for improvement.

"We have to learn how to improve with the ball possession and to increase our ball speed and it is up to us to decide it," the former Sassuolo boss added.

"It is really hard to control the game in the Premier League - only Manchester City is doing that. Our target is to start to control much more of the game."

Leandro Trossard scored a hat-trick to earn a 3-3 draw for Brighton and Hove Albion in a Premier League thriller against Liverpool at Anfield.

Trossard's double in the opening 17 minutes put the visitors in command in head coach Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge.

Liverpool hit back through Roberto Firmino before the break and the Brazil striker equalised early in the second half of a pulsating Premier League encounter.

Adam Webster's own goal put Liverpool ahead for the first time, but Trossard completed his treble with seven minutes of normal time remaining to give Brighton a deserved point.

Trossard gave De Zerbi a dream start to his reign, taking a clever flick from Danny Welbeck and drilling home with his left foot from inside the area after beating Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alisson made fine saves from Welbeck and Trossard but was powerless to prevent the latter doubling his tally with a clinical left-foot finish after Alexander-Arnold's error.

Robert Sanchez thwarted Mohamed Salah, but the Egypt forward's touch gave Firmino the opportunity to find the back of an empty net, with the goal awarded following a VAR check for offside.

Firmino showed great composure to equalise on the break nine minutes into the second half, taking a pass from half-time substitute Luis Díaz and producing some trickery to round Lewis Dunk before applying the finish.

The turnaround looked complete when Sanchez paid the price for flapping at Alexander-Arnold's corner, with the unfortunate Webster turning into his own net.

Yet Brighton continued to pose a huge threat and, after Alisson denied Welbeck, Trossard sealed his hat-trick by superbly converting a left-wing cross.

Alexander-Arnold forced an excellent save from Sanchez in the closing stages, but Liverpool were unable to find a winner.

Leandro Trossard would be keen on reuniting with Graham Potter at Chelsea but said speculation on his Brighton and Hove Albion future "makes no sense" at this moment.

Belgium international Trossard has shone during Brighton's fine start to the Premier League season, scoring twice in six appearances, but the Seagulls are now set for new guidance.

Head coach Potter's departure for Chelsea will provide a challenge for Brighton, who appointed Roberto De Zerbi as his successor, and the new Stamford Bridge chief could raid his former club in future transfer windows.

Speculation has suggested Trossard is a player Potter would be keen to bring in, and the 27-year-old winger has opened the door for a move, though he made it clear it is pointless to discuss until any offer is made.

"I feel very good, we had a super start with Brighton," Trossard told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

"I have evolved tremendously. I now know how the Premier League works. I've grown tremendously in that. Confidence, mentally, physically, I have become better. I have mastered the tricks now.

"Our coach did leave for Chelsea now but speculation about me following makes no sense. If the opportunity arises, I want to go. But I want to play and not sit on the bench."