Alexander Isak scored for a third straight Premier League game as Liverpool inflicted only Brighton’s second loss of the season.
Isak’s goal, finished emphatically from Bradley Barcola’s right-wing cut-back, came four first-half minutes after Pascal Gross had diverted a Florian Wirtz shot into his own net.
Brighton arrived at Anfield having scored 23 goals in their first seven games of the season but lacked a clinical edge, with Yasin Ayari blazing a golden chance over moments before the opener.
Ayari later struck the post with a curling effort from outside the box as Brighton finished the game with only one shot on target despite having 64 per cent of the possession.
Trey Nyoni, a second-half substitute for Wirtz, who went down the tunnel after taking a knock to his ankle, also made a crucial, last-ditch tackle to deny Maxim De Cuyper in the Liverpool box.
The hosts had chances to add to their lead, wasting several counter-attacks and drawing Bart Verbruggen saves from Ronald Araujo and Cody Gakpo. But their first-half flurry proved sufficient to secure a first Premier League home win under Andoni Iraola.
The result takes them above Chelsea into fourth in the Premier League, only a point behind Brighton, who taste defeat for the first time since August. Liverpool’s fourth win in a row in all competitions also provides further evidence of their attack finally clicking.
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Alexander Isak buried Bradley Barcola’s cut-back for the second goal
Isak’s goal, his sixth of the season in the Premier League, came after fine work by summer signing Barcola, who stole possession high up the pitch before driving forward and picking out his team-mate.
Hurzeler: Only one team was playing to win
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler speaking to Sky Sports:
“It was a missed opportunity.
“Everyone felt we could definitely take something away from this game. We came here to play our way. We made two easy mistakes to give them a present to score two goals.
“We had plenty of chances to score. We kept trying. They defended well in the box and have individual quality. We did everything. We have to avoid easy mistakes. We had chances but didn’t have luck on our side today.
“We had a big chance with Yasin. If that goes in, the game is completely different. We have to learn we don’t have to chase the game.
“We lost our structure a little bit at 2-0 down. We wanted to come back as quickly as possible and lost our structure. That’s what we have to analyse and do better.
“In the second half, and also a lot of phases in the first-half, only one team was playing and trying to win.”
Liverpool’s low possession – Opta stats
- Liverpool’s possession of 35.6 per cent was their second lowest on record (since 2003/04) in a Premier League home win, and their lowest in an Anfield league victory since November 2010.
- Only Erling Haaland (nine) has scored more Premier League goals this season than Liverpool’s Alexander Isak (six), who has scored in three consecutive appearances in the competition for the first time since January 2025.
- Liverpool have now benefitted from 80 own goals in the Premier League, the joint-most alongside Manchester United.
The key moments at Anfield
- 7: INJURY! Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu is forced off after appearing to injure his hip
- 14: BIG MISS! Ayari fires a glorious Brighton chance over the bar
- 17: GOAL! Wirtz’s shot deflects off Gross and into the net
- 21: GOAL! Barcola picks out Isak to double Liverpool’s advantage
- 36: POST! Ayari crashes a shot off the post after Brighton win the ball high up the pitch
- 42 CHANCE! Araujo charges into the box but his shot is saved
- 64: INJURY! Wirtz is withdrawn for Nyoni after hurting his ankle
- 66 BIG TACKLE! Nyoni gets a foot in just before De Cuyper can pull the trigger in the Liverpool box
What the result means and next fixtures
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
