THE NOTEBOOK: Whistling is proving Roberto De Zerbi’s secret weapon

Kaoru Mitoma’s injury-time winner handed Brighton a shock 2-1 upset against Liverpool on Sunday, which knock Jurgen Klopp’s side out of the FA Cup.

Harvey Elliott’s first-half opener for the Reds was quickly cancelled out by Tariq Lamptey’s deflected shot off Lewis Dunk, before Mitoma struck with a stoppage-time goal to continue Liverpool’s woeful run of form. 

Here, Sportsmail’s DANIEL MATTHEWS has picked out some of the things you may have missed from the Amex on Sunday…

Kaoru Mitoma’s stoppage-time winner handed Brighton a shock 2-1 upset against Liverpool

Half-half scarves have had their day

Fish in a barrel stuff this, of course, but half-and-half scarves: surely we are finally approaching endgame. 

Without going full Susie Dent, has the word ‘souvenir’ ever been more willingly misused than to describe the knitwear on offer outside the Amex? 

The scarves, being flogged for £15 by a handful of hopefuls, featured the names of both teams, the date of Sunday’s game and even the occasion. ‘FA Cup Fourth Round’. 

A tough sell. As was pointed out to one kid who showed mild interest: ‘They’ll be a fiver after the game.’

Half-and-half scarves were being sold to fans for £15 outside the stadium ahead of the match

Brighton play to the whistle

The electric, end-to-end start helped fuel a fine atmosphere at the Amex. Through all the noise and colour, however, Roberto De Zerbi still managed to make himself heard. 

How? A whistle that pierced the air and appears to do more than simply catch the attention of his players. 

Several times the manager whistled to signal that players near him were free. It even helped pass instructions on to Pervis Estupinan, who was on the other side of the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp has his own version but the Liverpool boss cut a frustrated figure when one message fell on deaf ears.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi frequently whistled at his players on the touchline at the Amex

Touchline tit-for-tat

A proxy war of pettiness broke out on the touchline here. First, as De Zerbi looked to spark a quick throw-in, Harvey Elliott came from behind and cheekily popped the ball out of his arms – much to the amusement of Darwin Nunez and Co on the Liverpool bench.

Then, a few minutes later, Klopp allowed himself a smile when Cody Gakpo went to collect the ball and De Zerbi threw it away. Delightful tit-for-tat.

De Zerbi got his own back after Harvey Elliott cheekily stopped his side taking a quick throw-in

Unhappy Trent 

A shake of the head and a grimace from Trent Alexander-Arnold when he was replaced shortly before the hour.

One vital goal-line clearance aside, this was another chastening afternoon spent trying to shackle Kaoru Mitoma – the game’s outstanding player even before his late winner.

Alexander-Arnold did not offer much threat in possession, either, with Klopp visibly perplexed by one botched Hollywood pass.

Trent Alexander-Arnold looked visibly disappointed when he was hooked off in the second half