Liverpool once again failed to win in their post-Premier League title run with a 3-2 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Reds let the lead slip twice as the Seagulls fought back to claim a big three points in the battle for eighth place, which this season could result in qualification for Europe if the right outcomes are met in the coming days.

Starting for Liverpool at the Amex Stadium, though, was Federico Chiesa, with the Italian international making his first Premier League start of the season after a year of recovering from injury problems and overcoming fitness issues.

With Arne Slot recently sharing why Chiesa has not featured much for Liverpool this season, tonight was a huge chance for the 27-year-old to show supporters why he was worth bringing in last summer from Juventus.

Arne Slot experiment pays off as Mohamed Salah left frustrated - 5 talking points vs Brighton	Liverpool team vs Brighton confirmed as Federico Chiesa and Trent Alexander-Arnold decisions made	Federico Chiesa starts as key Liverpool players benched for Brighton

However, Liverpool fans were not impressed with Chiesa’s performance, and one thing about the forward’s game was brought up time and again by supporters on social media.

Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images

With Chiesa making his first Premier League start of the season in the second-to-last game of the campaign, there were always going to be some blemishes out there for the forward that would be impossible to hide.

And one very obvious one for Chiesa was his lack of physicality, with the former Serie A star constantly losing duels with Brighton players as the attacker looked like a figure who needed time to build his strength and conditioning before competing.

As a result, Liverpool fans were critical of Chiesa’s performance against Brighton, with supporters pointing out that the Italian will need to bulk up over the summer if he’s to stand a chance of succeeding at Anfield.

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“Chiesa hasn’t really shown he should have started at all this season has he?

Same as the other times, looks physically dusted,” one fan posted.

Another Liverpool fan wrote: “As much as I hate to admit it, Chiesa is too weak for the Premier League.”

One more supporter shared: “Chiesa is not the answer, he’s not strong enough mentally and physically.”

READ MORE: Why Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool future may depend on Luis Diaz as Arne Slot opens the door to Anfield revival

“You can see why Slot never plays Chiesa, I hope he scored so he can mask the bad performance he’s putting, unfortunately he’s just not good for Premier League football,” another fan posted.

One Liverpool fan claimed: “Chiesa isn’t physically suited to the PL at all he needs to stay on his feet and be stronger in the duels, pushed off the ball far too easily.

Not looking good.”

Whilst another posted: “Hope all the Chiesa lovers took note of that performance.

Sell.”

It would be an understatement to say that Chiesa’s performance against Brighton was underwhelming, with the Italian failing to grab the occasion by the scruff of the neck despite what was at stake for the winger.

Federico Chiesa’s stats vs Brighton & Hove AlbionMinutes played63Total shots1Chances created2Touches12xG + xA0.15

And judging by Chiesa’s key stats against Brighton, Liverpool fans were more than right to be disappointed with how the 27-year-old showcased himself on the English south coast, with the attacker unable to make a real impact.

Indeed, this pre-season could be the biggest of Chiesa’s career, and the winger will want to show Liverpool fans how good he really is after a full summer of training and playing pre-season fixtures with the Reds.