Isak Scores Again as Liverpool Beat Brighton at Anfield
Liverpool won at Anfield on Sunday for the first time in the Premier League this season, ending Brighton's run of four successive league wins. Alexander Isak scored for the sixth time in six Premier League appearances, and Andoni Iraola's side led from the opening goal to the final whistle.
The first goal came when Brighton were starting to apply their first serious pressure. Florian Wirtz held off Lewis Dunk, and Ronald Araújo beat Brighton's captain and Olivier Boscagli to a loose ball. His low cross rebounded off two Brighton players and reached Wirtz, whose first-time shot was deflected again by Pascal Gross before it beat Bart Verbruggen. The goal was officially credited to Gross as an own goal.
Liverpool doubled the lead soon after. Alisson's clearance caught Boscagli out, and the left-back sent his own clearance straight at Bradley Barcola, who was playing on the right. Barcola brushed him aside and delivered the ball, and Isak steered it inside the far corner with a side-foot finish. It was his third league goal in as many games, the first time he has scored in three consecutive league matches since January 2025. Boscagli was withdrawn at half-time.
Brighton's chances
Yasin Ayari struck a post from 20 yards, after Alisson's risky pass to Alexis Mac Allister gifted possession back to Brighton. Jack Hinshelwood and Malick Yalcouyé added energy from the bench, but the visitors lacked an end product, and too many crosses were overhit.
Araújo, Jérémy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk made key interventions as Liverpool defended their box in the second half. Barcola was seen sprinting back to help his defence.
The Brighton head coach said: "I think everyone in the stadium saw there was one team who really tried to create and tried to win this game and therefore I have to praise my players. The difference was that they scored and we didn't." He added that Brighton made easy mistakes and lost some important duels, and called the result a missed opportunity.
Iraola said: "It is a very valuable win. The key was how we started. We needed a strong start, to be aggressive, recover balls, win our duels, be dangerous in transitions, and we've done it and it has been a different game from the last ones when we've conceded first." Storm Boelo was raging outside the stadium, but the game went ahead.
Source: The Guardian