Mohamed Salah fired in a 65th minute winner as Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 at Anfield, to move top of the Premier League.
Salah scored the 65th minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister’s pass to complete a comeback win as Liverpool began their run-in with a huge result.
Danny Welbeck had fired Brighton into a second minute lead which was cancelled out by Luis Diaz’s 27th minute equaliser, after he intercepted Joel Veltman’s backward flick on the volley.
Liverpool now sit top whilst Brighton remain ninth in the table.
Speaking to the media post-match, Mac Allister described Liverpool’s win over his “unbelievable” former team as an “amazing” feat.
“We didn’t start as we wanted but it was an amazing game, we played against an unbelievable team. I know them very well, I know what they can do. It was a tough match but at the end we won it, so we are very happy.”
Mac Allister also praised Salah for his “mentality” to find a “quality” winner, having “missed a couple” of chances in the first half.
Sat second purely on goal difference and winless in four previous meetings against Brighton since Roberto De Zerbi took charge of the Seagulls in mid-September 2022, Liverpool made a nightmare start as Pervis Estupinan was allowed to break apace up his left flank.
That mistake was consequently punished 85 seconds in as Virgil van Dijk’s clearance and met and smashed into the bottom-right corner by Welbeck, which sent the away fans wild as Brighton put an early handbrake on Liverpool’s mission to go top on a big day in the title race.
Darwin Nunez thought he had won a sixth minute penalty after he had been brought down by Estupinan, but referee – David Coote and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) snubbed his appeals.
Salah wasted two chances which were put wide of the goal, whilst Alexis Mac Allister curled over in the 12th minute, as Liverpool began to seize control of the game.
That momentum eventually was rewarded in the 27th minute after a corner was flicked back into the box by Brighton’s Veltman, which found Diaz to volley in from close range to equalise despite Brighton players insisting that the Colombian was offside.
Both teams proceeded to exchange chances in an end-to-end finish to the first half with Brighton largely on top, but Liverpool held out until half-time.
Brighton however found the tables turned in the second half as Liverpool quickly controlled proceedings in which Diaz fired wide in the 49th minute, before Mac Allister and Salah nodded from crosses by Nunez and Joe Gomez respectively.
Dominik Szoboszlai meanwhile fired wide from the edge of the box in the 63rd minute as Liverpool continued to pile on the pressure upon Brighton’s defence.
Klopp’s Reds ultimately found the second goal two minutes later as Mac Allister teed up Salah to bend into the bottom-left corner from close range, which put Liverpool on course for a first win over De Zerbi’s Seagulls since the Italian took charge.
Salah turned provider in the 71st minute as he picked up a pass and teed up Diaz from which the Colombian fired in under Bart Verbruggen’s feet, only for his goal to be disallowed due to having been in an offside position as he met the pass.
Brighton almost benefitted from that VAR decision in the 86th minute but substitute and ex Liverpool player, Adam Lallana dragged his shot wide across goal.
Liverpool ultimately clung on to go top of the table ahead of Manchester City’s blockbuster clash against Arsenal in the title race.
What’s Next?
Liverpool host rock-bottom Sheffield United at Anfield on Thursday 4 April at 7:30pm BST.
Brighton meanwhile are back in action 24 hours earlier on Wednesday 3 April away to Brentford at 7:30pm.
Teams
Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai (Gravenberch 90+4′), Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez (Elliott 83′), Luis Diaz (Gakpo 89′)
Substitutes: Ibrahima Konate, Adrian, Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns
Brighton: Bart Verbruggen, Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Tariq Lamptey (Buonanotte 70′), Carlos Baleba, Pascal Gross, Pervis Estupinan, Simon Adingra (Ferguson 83′), Jakub Moder (Lallana 83′), Danny Welbeck
Substitutes: Igor, Adam Webster, Adam Lallana, Valentin Barco, Jason Steele, Evan Ferguson, Ansu Fati, Facundo Buonanotte, Samy Chouchane
Referee: David Coote
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