FROM ANFIELD – Liverpool moved top of the Premier League as they came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 on Sunday.
The visitors took a shock lead with just 87 seconds gone as Danny Welbeck thrashed in brilliantly at the Kop end.
However, goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah in each half ensured the Reds recorded their first win over the Seagulls at Anfield since 2019.
How the game unfolded
Fans inside Anfield had barely got into their seats when Brighton proved that they were ready to give Liverpool yet another uncomfortable afternoon on their own turf.
Just 87 seconds had elapsed when the ball sat up kindly for Danny Welbeck at the edge of the Kop-end box and he thrashed a wonderful first-time finish into the corner.
To their credit, Liverpool responded well, quickly putting Brighton under pressure and creating a string of chances only to be thwarted by poor finish.
Remarkably, seven of their shots came from Mohamed Salah, whose most egregious miss came when he blasted over from close range on the volley.
However, the Reds were eventually rewarded when the ball broke to Luis Diaz in the box after Joel Veltman failed to clear and he produced an unconventional finish to level things.
Liverpool continued in much the same vein in the second half, and perhaps might have got frustrated had Brighton held out a little longer.
But with 65 minutes on the clock, a moment of pure class from Alexis Mac Allister saw him pick out Salah in the box, and the Egyptian rifled a finish home.
Despite several presentable opportunities, the Reds could not add a third, but they saw off a nervy finish to ensure three vital points were secured.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 6/10 – Had a quiet afternoon up until he had to brilliantly tip a Dunk post around the header. A big moment.
RB: Conor Bradley – 7/10 – Stood up to the Adingra test well and was an absolute menace down the right-hand side all afternoon.
CB: Jarell Quansah – 8/10 – Dragged all over the place by Brighton’s man-to-man attack but did really well to cope, showing good pace as well as composure.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7/10 – Not as involved as Quansah, but led a backline that restricted Brighton impressively.
LB: Joe Gomez – 7/10 – Looked like he might be targeted in possession early in the game but grew into things and put on a strong performance in the end.
CM: Wataru Endo – 7/10 – Couldn’t always get close to Brighton’s quick exchanges but battled well and was brave in possession.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 8/10 – Worked hard throughout but came to life in possession in the second half when his drives forward disorganised Brighton.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – 9/10 – Set up the winner having run the game from start to finish. How Brighton must wish they still had the Argentine in their midfield.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 8/10 – Took a whopping 12 shots as Liverpool continuously threatened and, though he might have liked greater return, will take scoring the winner at the Kop end.
ST: Darwin Nunez – 6/10 – A quieter performance than we are used to from the Uruguayan, who is usually a magnet for chances. Some nice touches in build-up, though.
LW: Luis Diaz – 7/10 – Took a tricky chance well to equalise and was always available to drag Liverpool up the pitch.
Substitutes
SUB: Harvey Elliott (83′ for Nunez) – 7/10
SUB: Cody Gakpo (87′ for Diaz) – 6/10
SUB: Ryan Gravenberch (90′ for Szoboszlai) – 6/10
Subs not used: Adrian, Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, James McConnell, Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns.
Manager
Jurgen Klopp – 8/10 – Has struggled against De Zerbi in the past but got it spot on today. The early goal aside, Liverpool were dominant.
GK: Bart Verbruggen – 6/10 – Could do little about the goals and produced a barely believable save in injury time to keep the score down.
RB: Joel Veltman – 6/10 – Took part in an enjoyable battle with Diaz that probably ended honours even. Didn’t offer much the other way, though.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke – 6/10 – Looked in trouble when Liverpool moved the ball quickly but was composed in possession.
CB: Lewis Dunk – 7/10 – Won the majority of his duels and used the ball brilliantly to help Brighton build from the back.
LB: Pervis Estupinan – 5/10 – Liverpool found it too easy to exploit the space in behind him and he was not much of a threat going the other way.
CM: Carlos Baleba – 7/10 – Consistently won his battles in the centre of the pitch, be that to disrupt Liverpool or spark a quick counter.
CM: Pascal Gross – 7/10 – Always available to help Brighton pass the ball through the Liverpool press and a creative threat along with it.
RW: Tariq Lamptey – 4/10 – His sheer pace made him an outlet but he didn’t do enough in terms of getting shots off or creating chances.
AM: Jakub Moder – 5/10 – Didn’t do enough with the promising positions Brighton got themselves into.
LW: Simon Adringra – 7/10 – Troubled Liverpool constantly with his dribbling down the left-hand side and was always an outlet for a quick switch of play.
ST: Danny Welbeck – 8/10 – Took his goal brilliantly and made life so difficult for Liverpool with his little flicks and runs in behind in build-up. Also worked his socks off.
Substitutes
SUB: Facundo Buonaotte (68′ for Lamptey) – 5/10
SUB: Adam Lallana (83′ for Moder) – 5/10
SUB: Valentin Barco (92′ for Estupinan) – 5/10
Subs not used: Jason Steele, Igor, Adam Webster, Evan Ferguson, Ansu Fati, Samy Chouchane.
Manager
Roberto De Zerbi – 6/10 – Set his team up in typically exciting fashion but was let down by the odd poor performance more than anything else.
Player of the match: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
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