Liverpool 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool’s expensively assembled front four finally clicked into gear as they beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 to record their first home Premier League win of the season.
The trio of £100 million-plus signings Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz – and Cody Gakpo – found a connection which fans have been hoping will succeed in breaking down defences against whom they struggled during their disappointing title defence.
They do not come more miserly than the Seagulls as Fabian Hurzeler’s side may be the top flight’s leading scorers but they also know how to keep the back door tightly shut – and these were the first goals conceded in all competitions in over nine hours.
Wirtz was denied the credit for the 17th-minute opener because the ball deflected off Pascal Gross but there was no doubting Isak’s sixth goal in seven league appearances four minutes later from a Barcola cross.
Strong contributions from the France international and Gakpo on the flanks ensured that Brighton were never entirely comfortable in a first half in which they started the brighter.
By the 77th minute only Gakpo remained but with the visitors starting to cause problems – and Chelsea arriving on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup – changes were necessary.
The other performance of note came from on-loan Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo – a centre-back playing on the right who provided the cross that led to the first goal.
He continued to enhance his cult status with a header while flat out on the floor to deny Maxim De Cuyper a goalscoring opportunity just after going 2-0 up and a no-nonsense clearance which almost put Malick Yalcouye into the first row of the main stand.
Brighton may have fared better had Yasin Ayari not blazed over the first chance of the game after Diego Gomez’s pass released Gross but once Liverpool were ahead confidence flowed through them.
This was a fourth win in a row in all competitions – and a third in four in the league, lifting them into fourth, six points behind Manchester City and Arsenal.
Brighton may have had two days’ less rest after their European exploits but only three of that team were retained and even the loss of right-back Ferdi Kadioglu to injury after just six minutes did not dampen their verve.
But once Ayari wasted his opportunity in front of the Kop, Liverpool heeded the warning and when the excellent Araujo’s cross rebounded off Gross, Wirtz’s quick reactions saw the ball divert off the Seagulls midfielder to beat Bart Verbruggen.
In the next four minutes Gakpo had a shot saved and Isak fired over before scoring the second.
Barcola charged down Olivier Boscagli’s clearance and crossed for the Sweden striker to produce a poacher’s finish, scoring in three consecutive games for the first time since January 2025.
Ayari’s low, curled shot hit the post with goalkeeper Alisson Becker having decided it was going wide but Araujo had the last say of the first half by forcing a save out of Verbruggen.
After the break Gakpo should have squared to Barcola on the counter-attack but opted to thread a more difficult pass through to Isak and was crowded out.
Brighton came back stronger but could not find a way through, even with Alisson Becker putting in one of his more erratic performances. The Seagulls stay third despite suffering their first defeat since the end of August.
