Liverpool had spent 65 minutes fighting for every inch on the pitch against a determined Brighton, but then a perfect pass from Alexis Mac Allister found Mohamed Salah in yards of space. The forward soon had his arms outstretched as he and Anfield breathed a collective sigh of relief.
In a tight title race, being faultless in their final five home games looks like being a prerequisite if Liverpool, who are two points clear at the top of the table after Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal, are to lift the Premier League trophy in May. Few will give them a tougher time than Brighton as Roberto De Zerbi did his utmost to show he has the tactical nous to be Jürgen Klopp’s successor.
Danny Welbeck silenced Anfield after 87 seconds but Brighton rarely left their half afterwards and the Liverpool roar returned thanks to Luis Díaz and Salah.
It was the seventh time Liverpool have won from being behind this season, a sign of the squad’s strength of mentality. Although going behind early was a shock, after that it rarely looked in doubt where the points would end up at the full-time whistle.
When auditioning for a part it is always the aim to make a good early impression. De Zerbi’s side certainly did that in the second minute when Brighton turned defence into attack as Simon Adingra raced up the left wing, forcing Jarell Quansah to backtrack until the Brighton man reached the box. His cross, after being deflected by a defender, belatedly found its way to the former Manchester United striker Welbeck, who hit the ball with such power and accuracy that he may receive a late Olympics callup for the Team GB archery squad.
Adingra is another product of Brighton’s smart recruitment, signing him from Nordsjælland in 2022. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast at the start of the year and is understandably full of confidence. He caused Conor Bradley plenty of problems and forced Mac Allister to pick up a booking for pulling him back when he realised immediately that he could not match him for pace, ensuring Liverpool were not in for an easy afternoon.
The shock of the opener was soon forgotten as the hosts dominated. Liverpool were sharp in attack, moving the ball quickly and Brighton struggled to cope with the pace. De Zerbi ensured his players were back in numbers and whenever a pass was made between those in red the recipient was quickly in the shadow of a blue and white shirt or two. Salah, making his first league start since New Year’s Day, had three clear chances to equalise but failed to find the target.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Although not accurate with his early shots, he did assist Díaz for the equaliser. The Egyptian beat Carlos Baleba to the ball on the edge of the box and headed a half‑cleared corner straight back over the defence’s head. There were a number of Liverpool players offside but Joël Veltman deflected the ball close enough to Díaz – who was onside anyway – to allow him to jab home from close range, aided by a Joël Veltman miscue. Lewis Dunk led the complaints to the referee, David Coote, but there was no cause for a reprieve.
The effort levels were draining the Brighton defence, which might explain how Salah was left to his own devices inside the area, allowing time to compose himself and pick his spot after Mac Allister’s intuition found him. The turnaround was complete but there was little time for rest.
Díaz and Salah combined like they had for the first after the Egyptian slung a pass through for his teammate who somehow forced the ball through Bart Verbruggen’s legs, only to see the flag up for offside. It was an impressive spot from the assistant referee as replays showed a medal’s worth of distance between defender and attacker but these are the fine margins in which Liverpool are involved.
Mac Allister reminded Brighton what he had done for them by being cool in possession and helped to bring control to what was at times a frantic fixture. The Argentinian created the winner, his fifth assist in 24 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, through his speed of thought and accuracy with his pass in between two defenders to find Salah. For the forward it was a moment of redemption after falling short with his shots in the first half but few doubted the outcome when the opportunity presented itself.
When chasing the game Brighton forced Caoimhín Kelleher into a fine save from a Dunk header and Adam Lallana came off the bench to almost haunt his old club but dragged his shot wide, testing the nerves of those who used to adore him. It was a valiant defeat for Brighton and De Zerbi’s side showed through hard work, organisation and ability to counter that he is doing something right on the south coast. Whether he can step up to title challengers is yet to be seen.
Nothing will be easy for Liverpool for the remainder of the season because opponents are not here to write fairytales on Klopp’s behalf, although it looks like the ending will be more akin to a thriller.
