ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Mohamed Salah was once again the star man for Liverpool as his side moved back to the top of the Premier League table following a comeback victory. Ferdi Kalioglu had opened the scoring before Cody Gakpo leveled in the second half.
And at the end of a brilliant sweeping move involving substitutes Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz, Salah curled a shot past Bart Verbruggen. It was always going to require something inspired to beat the Brighton stopper, and the Egyptian duly delivered.
This was, of course, another reason to tie him down to a new deal. That, however, is a conversation that can wait, albeit not too long now. Here are the three things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai both struggled to make any kind of positive impact on the game with Brighton’s central players running rings around them at times. Ryan Gravenberch showed better aggression in the second half but the initially selected midfield, undoubtedly the first choice under Arne Slot, really struggled to get to grips with things.
It was strange and inexplicable. But ahead of a big week where Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa also come to Anfield, Liverpool needs to find the right solution quickly. A similarly lethargic showing in the next run of matches will not end well.
Fortunately, when Jones was introduced alongside Diaz, the pair helped to turn things around. Jones was sensational against Chelsea recently and the England ace was exceptional here too. In an inspired change from Slot, the number 17 offered everything that Mac Allister was unable to. He and Diaz made the difference and Joe Gomez was superb too.
A tale of two halves
Brighton, seemingly having learned from what happened midweek, set up perfectly at Anfield. The two midfields looked completely mismatched and Liverpool couldn’t get near the likes of Yasin Ayari at times. It looked like the Seagulls had an extra man.
By the half-hour mark, it was clear that it wasn’t just a tactical mess in the middle — Liverpool was a mile off it all across the field — and Slot needed to do something. But at half-time, it was only the injured Ibrahima Konate who came off.
Liverpool (and Anfield) responded with some more intensity, nonetheless, and the pressure started to built. Slot often talks about simply winning the duels going a long way, and that seemed to be a shift from first half to second here.
Jones added quality and the ability to win his individual battles. Gakpo and Salah stepped up with the stardust. Slot shouldn’t have needed to pull off an inspired move but that is what did. It could be a huge three points for Liverpool.
After Arsenal lost 1-0 to Newcastle United thanks to Alexander Isak’s goal, it was looking like a good weekend for Liverpool. Then Bournemouth went a goal ahead against Manchester City.
The Gunners and Pep Guardiola’s side both lost in the end, but that was only going to taste sweet for Liverpool if it got its own job done. Halfway through the game at Anfield, it is fair to say that was looking doubtful.
Now, though, the Reds are sitting top of the standings again. Could this be looked back on as a turning point in the season? Slot and his team will hope so. Salah, once again, came up with the good when it mattered the most. Now, it is a case of ensuring the Reds remain top of the pile after Aston Villa next weekend.
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