'He can do what he wants' - Fiery Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi sheds light on touchline handball disagreement with Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp

Roberto De Zerbi acknowledged that his Brighton squad was lucky to receive the free-kick that gave them a 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

WHAT HAPPENED? After Simon Adingra's opening goal, Mohamed Salah scored twice to give the visitors the lead at halftime. However, with just over 10 minutes left, the hosts equalised when Lewis Dunk converted a Solly March free-kick.Mitoma earned the set piece after being forced down by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate, and De Zerbi admits he was lucky to have the foul called. However, the Seagulls manager believes his team ought to have been awarded a penalty after Kaoru Mitoma's errant shot looked to contact Virgil van Dijk in the hand.

WHAT THEY SAID: «I love Klopp,» De Zerbi said [via Liverpool Echo]. «He can do what he wants because I have a big respect and I consider him one of the best coaches in the world. I like his behaviour and when he says something, 99% of the time I agree with him. In that situation, I think there was a clear penalty and I told the referee in a good way I think.

»I think there was a penalty but not a foul for when we scored the second goal. I'm honest and I told Jurgen my opinion and my idea."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: De Zerbi's men are currently placed sixth in the Premier League standings with five wins, one draw and two losses in eight games. Despite the decent start, the Seagulls have been very inconsistent in their performances with form varying from game to game, having lost 6-1 to Aston Villa last weekend having won comfortably against Newcastle United just a week prior.

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WHAT NEXT? As the Premier League breaks for the international break, De Zerbi will have a couple of weeks to work out his side going forward as they face