Is the crossing tactic making a comeback at Brighton and Liverpool?

Teams with high-pressing attacking identities in the Premier League had been moving away from crossing from open play recently. Brighton and Liverpool taking that step this weekend suggests that this out-of-fashion approach could return to the agenda.

Liverpool made 12 crosses from open play in the first half against Arsenal. This is the most open-play crosses by a team against Arsenal since November 2020. In the 42nd minute, Alex Mac Allister should have scored from a headed effort off the team's 19th cross. By the 42nd minute of this match, Liverpool had reached nearly four times the 5 crosses they made in their entire match against Brighton a week earlier.

In their 2-0 win over Manchester City, Brighton moved the ball into the wide areas with long diagonal passes. Fabian Hurzeler saw City's players who were not full-backs as a weak point, and this plan led directly to the winning goal. Brighton's goal came from the rebound off a partially cleared ball.

The two teams had different reasons for their strategies, but the common ground was a desire to get the ball into the penalty area and create chaos. Although Arsenal's defence made the first contact, they were caught on their heels, so they were pressed by second balls.