Following Graham Potter’s switch to Chelsea early last month, De Zerbi’s first game as boss saw Trossard’s brace put the impressive visitors 2-0 ahead inside 18 minutes.
The Merseysiders then rallied, as Roberto Firmino’s double either side of half-time and an Adam Webster own goal gave Jürgen Klopp’s side a 3-2 advantage.
The Belgian completed his treble in the 83rd minute, though, as he swept home Kaoru Mitoma’s cross to make it 3-3.
A result that left Brighton fourth and Liverpool ninth in the league table on Saturday night.
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Reds' recurring issues
Themes that have become persistent points of concern throughout the season’s early weeks were again on show here for the Reds.
In and out of possession, there regularly appeared to be a degree of disconnect. That was, in fairness, superbly capitalised on and exacerbated by Brighton, who played through the lines and latched onto second balls with considerable efficiency throughout.
That was particularly true within the opening 20 minutes or so, where swift combinations teed up Trossard to finish shrewdly with his left foot in the fourth and then the 18th minute.
Alisson Becker – arguably the hosts’ best player on the day – was also forced into sharp stops from Danny Welbeck and Trossard between the two goals.
That familiar force of will – which has so often been evident under Klopp – was still evident in how Liverpool worked their way back into the game, at least.
They steadily developed a degree of control in the following minutes and Firmino's well taken goals in the 33rd and 54th minute brought them level.
Adam Webster’s own-goal – after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez punched Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 63rd-minute corner against him – was unfortunate, but felt a product of the Reds’ increasing momentum.
However, sloppiness, that aforementioned disconnect and, at times, a lack of intensity had still been present for the hosts as the comeback was made.
Those signs of carelessness appeared to rear their heads more clearly in the spell after they took the lead and, when Virgil van Dijk was unable to clear Kaoru Mitoma’s cross, that ultimately saw Trossard’s third left-footed conversion of the day earn a deserved point in the 83rd minute.
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Fleet-footed Firmino
The Brazilian forward represented a considerable positive for the Reds as he took his tally to five for the season.
He was sloppy himself, in moments. Uncharacteristically misplaced passes did see some attacks break down, but he also looked encouragingly sharp on several occasions.
There were those trademark flicks and displays of awareness that knitted several Liverpool advances together, while he dropped deep to boost numbers in midfield in familiar fashion. Nothing displayed that sharpness quite as clearly as his two goals, though.
His first saw him race onto a Mohamed Salah touch that had – deliberately or otherwise – diverted Jordan Henderson’s through ball away from the advancing Sánchez, before the No.9 lifted a clever first-time finish over the stretching Lewis Dunk and in.
His second, meanwhile, was Firmino through and through.
Luis Díaz – who offered additional directness and energy after being introduced at half-time – advanced down the left and fed the ball into the feet of the Brazilian, who niftily shifted it away from Dunk with his right foot and neatly planted it into the bottom-right corner with his left.
It was done with a sense of ease and composure that so often accompanies his best work, and felt somewhat reminiscent of his second goal in the 5-1 win over Arsenal in December 2018.
This probably represented Liverpool’s best moment of a largely under-par afternoon, but Firmino’s form in recent matches does provide a considerable plus for the Reds as we enter a busy six weeks prior to the break for the World Cup.
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Encouraging start for De Zerbi
For Brighton, this was a match that offered both a clear reminder of the notable progress they made during Graham Potter’s tenure and provided plenty of reasons to believe that that upward trajectory can continue under De Zerbi.
The 43-year-old Italian – most recently of Shakhtar Donetsk – had stated pre-match that he didn’t wish to change too much at this stage, given the relatively little time that he had had to work with the players, and that approach appeared to work well.
He retained the back-three of Joël Veltman, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster – which had started four of their opening six Premier League matches – and plenty of the Seagulls’ stylistic elements also looked familiar.
Indeed, the only personnel change from their 5-2 home win over Leicester City on 4th September – their last match – was Pervis Estupiñán coming in for the injured Enock Mwepu.
They continued to look composed, neat and incisive in possession, while Trossard’s switch to a more advanced role – due to that single alteration – also very much paid dividends.
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Trossard treble may be a sign of things to come
Speaking to My Albion TV post-match, De Zerbi explained that he had sent a message to Trossard, while he was away on international duty with Belgium, saying that “he needs to increase the number of goals.”
Needless to say, the 27-year-old certainly appears to have been paying attention.
After finding the net five times in each of his three previous Premier League campaigns, Saturday’s hat-trick means he has already matched that total after seven outings in 2022/23.
Three sharp left-footed finishes ensured he was rewarded for regularly getting himself into dangerous areas and, had it not been for Alisson’s excellent early save, he could even have had four.
Regularly a superb creative force in recent seasons, this performance – and that message from De Zerbi – suggests he may represent a considerably more potent goal threat in the coming months.
An exciting prospect – which can also be said for Brighton collectively under the Italian’s stewardship.
