Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: Salah’s return and Ekitike’s double sealing the win
Mohamed Salah made a memorable comeback from the bench as Liverpool eased to a 2-0 victory over Brighton, with Hugo Ekitike grabbing a brace to lift the champions up to sixth in the table.
Salah had been restored to the matchday squad after talks with head coach Arne Slot on Friday. He was introduced earlier than planned, replacing the injured Joe Gomez after 26 minutes, and Anfield greeted his appearance with loud applause, seemingly putting any lingering tension from his Leeds interview behind him.
Ekitike scored twice for the second consecutive league game, but the standout moment belonged to Salah. Although he contributed an assist and came close to adding a goal, his performance dominated headlines as he navigated a challenging week and signaled his continued importance to the side ahead of AFCON.
Slot said after the match that he has “no issue to resolve” with Salah following the club’s decision to omit him from the Champions League trip to Inter. The coach hopes Salah can recapture the form he showed against Brighton once AFCON duties are complete.
In the opening moments, Salah’s introduction followed Ekitike’s early opener, which arrived with astonishing pace. The goal came after Yankuba Minteh’s clearance fell to Gomez, who set up the Frenchman for a pinpoint finish after just 46 seconds—the quickest goal of the Premier League season so far.
Brighton’s Diego Gómez had two clear-cut chances to level before the break and nearly pulled one off after halftime, nodding narrowly wide from a late chance that was checked by VAR for a potential high challenge on Florian Wirtz. He remained on the pitch, but Brighton couldn’t find a way back.
Liverpool controlled long phases of the game, finishing with a modest expected goals tally yet extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches. Brighton slipped to ninth, failing to win for a third consecutive game.
Salah’s performance earned him a standing ovation after the final whistle as he acknowledged the home crowd. Whether this was a preview of a longer absence or a temporary return remains to be seen, but the 33-year-old appeared to be in fine form and hungry for more before his AFCON stint.
Player ratings (selected):
- Liverpool: Alisson 7, Gomez 7, Koante 8, Van Dijk 8, Kerkez 7, Gravenberch 7, Jones 8, Szoboszlai 8, Mac Allister 7, Wirtz 8, Ekitike 9. Substitutes: Salah 8, Isak 6, Robertson 6, Chiesa 6.
- Brighton: Verbruggen 6, Wieffer 7, Van Hecke 6, Dunk 6, Kadioglu 6, Baleba 6, Hinshelwood 6, Minteh 6, Gruda 6, Gomez 5, Rutter 6. Substitutes: Mitoma 6, Ayari 6, Welbeck 5, Kostoulas 5, Milner N/A.
Man of the Match: Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool).
Arne Slot on Salah: "For me, there is no issue to resolve. He is now the same as any player. We discuss things with players, but there is nothing new to say after what happened in Leeds. The decision to leave him out of the Milan trip was tactical and subjective, and actions speak louder than words. He rejoined the squad today and performed as fans—and I—would hope.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler on the defeat: "We deserved more, maybe even a win. We created plenty of chances but started slowly and conceded from a set-piece we didn’t defend well. It’s about maintaining consistency for 90 minutes. We must take responsibility for the loss and learn from the avoidable goals, especially from set-pieces."
What’s next in the Premier League?
- Liverpool fixtures
- Brighton fixtures
- Premier League fixtures
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