When this game was last played in January, it was a personal celebration for Alexis Mac Allister, who was feted as a World Cup winner before kick-off before helping Brighton humiliate visiting Liverpool.

But it appeared like his first trip back to the South Coast since transferring to Anfield in the summer was going to be a nightmare for the Argentine.

Brighton, more than any other club, is aware that Mac Allister’s favoured position is not as a holding midfielder and, predictably, has played accordingly.

It was profitable. Trent Alexander-Arnold had already been forced to bring down Kaoru Mitoma the first time Trent Alexander-Arnold pressed forward when, after 20 minutes, he was far too casual accepting a pass from Virgil van Dijk in midfield and lost possession, from which Simon Adingra scored in almost comical fashion.

Spooked and on the back foot, Mac Allister was forced to chop down Joao Pedro on the edge of the area as Liverpool teetered perilously.

True, his placement allowed him to intercept Lewis Dunk’s pass into midfield and instigate the move that resulted in the Reds’ equalizer. And his general game improved significantly in the second half, especially when he began moving into more forward areas as Liverpool hunted a late winner.

But there’s no doubt that Mac Allister will be far better suited if he can finally start playing his natural game.

That time is undoubtedly approaching, though it should be noted that, while Wataru Endo is improving as part of the midweek cup midfield, the Japan international was not given a minute of action at Brighton.

Endo’s adjustment, like that of Fabinho five years ago, is taking longer than even Klopp anticipated.

And, with both teenager Stefan Bajcetic and the more experienced Thiago Alcantara suffering injury setbacks, and Curtis Jones serving the first of a three-match Premier League suspension, the Reds boss believes he has no choice but to keep using Mac Allister in the number six role in big games like this hard-fought 2-2 draw.

It doesn’t appear to be very fair. But just now, Liverpool and Klopp must prioritize. It cannot, however, become the norm.