Brighton carve out deserved lead through Ferdi Kadioglu
Liverpool respond through Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah
Reds capitalise on dropped points for Arsenal and Man City
FROM ANFIELD – Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League as they came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 in an entertaining clash.
The visitors took a fully deserved lead into the half-time break as Turkey international Ferdi Kadioglu’s strike from a tight angle silenced the Kop end.
But quick-fire goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah ensured Arne Slot’s Reds were rewarded for a much-improved second-half performance, sending them top of the table after slip-ups from Manchester City at Bournemouth and Arsenal earlier in the day at Newcastle United.
How the game unfolded
A moment of individual brilliance from Darwin Nunez almost brought the first goal early doors, with the Uruguayan flicking the ball over his head before driving into the box and forcing Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into a fingertip save.
However, the Seagulls quickly found their feet, and a spell of dominance in possession was rewarded when Kadioglu finished off a quick counter by striking brilliantly in off the far post.
Only a fine save from Caoimhin Kelleher prevented Georginio Rutter from doubling that advantage soon after in a one-v-one situation.
And, though Liverpool almost benefited from chaos in the box from two set-pieces in response, Brighton kept on flying forward, Kadioglu volleying over and Danny Welbeck hitting the side-netting from a free-kick before the break.
Liverpool’s chances were dealt a further blow at half-time as Ibrahima Konate was forced off with injury, but his replacement Joe Gomez almost made an instant impact when he saw a header saved from a free-kick moments after coming on.
Liverpool kept the momentum from that early chance going, and saw Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk both go close from crosses into the box soon after.
The best opportunity, however, fell to Salah, who failed to beat Verbruggen with his finish after being played in by Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool might have felt at that point that luck was going to evade them, but it was thanks to a small slice of fortune that they equalised with 20 minutes remaining, Gakpo’s cross missing everyone before nestling in the far corner.
And there was nothing lucky about the strike that quickly followed, Salah curling sensationally into the very top corner after cutting into the box.
With Arsenal having lost earlier in the day and Manchester City en route to a defeat of their own, a rocking Anfield was determined to ensure Liverpool did not relinquish their advantage from there.
And so it proved as Arne Slot’s side saw out a crucial result in relative comfort, taking top spot in the Premier League as a result.
Liverpool player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 6/10 – Could do little about the goal and made one vital stop from Rutter in the first half.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10 – His defensive work in the second half was utterly crucial to Liverpool seeing off Brighton’s threat.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 6/10 – Won most of his battles before going off with an arm injury that will be a big concern for Slot.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7/10 – Held the Liverpool backline together under serious pressure at times.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 7/10 – Solid and dependable, Tsimikas is now a genuine threat to Andy Robertson’s starting spot at left-back.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch – 7/10 – Did well despite being swarmed in the first half and took control in the second period as Liverpool turned it around.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister – 6/10 – Kept battling away in the centre of the park but wasn’t as influential as he can be in possession.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 5/10 – Spent the first half chasing shadows and was an obvious candidate for a substitution with just over an hour gone.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10 – Came to life in the second period, giving Estupinan nightmares and scoring an incredible winner.
CF: Darwin Nunez – 6/10 – Not a huge goal threat but he worked his socks off.
LW: Cody Gakpo – 7/10 – Kept going at Brighton’s defence as Liverpool turned the screw and earned the slice of luck that saw him equalise.
SUB: Joe Gomez (46′ for Konate) – 8/10 – Imperious after coming on for the injured Konate.
SUB: Curtis Jones (67′ for Mac Allister) – 7/10 – Played a key role in Liverpool’s second-half improvement.
SUB: Luis Diaz (67′ for Szoboszlai) – 7/10
SUB: Wataru Endo (77′ for Nunez) – 7/10
SUB: Conor Bradley (90+1′ for Salah) – 6/10
Subs not used: Vitezslav Jaros, Andy Robertson, Jarell Quansah, Tyler Morton.
Manager
Arne Slot – 8/10 – Seemed to have been outmanoeuvred in the first half but his tactical tweaks and subs turned things around.
