Ayari threatened before Liverpool scored twice
Brighton created an early opening through Yasin Ayari before Liverpool took control. In the 17th minute Florian Wirtz drove the ball towards goal and Gross scored an own goal while trying to stop the attempt.
Liverpool added the second in the 21st minute. Bradley Barcola supplied the pass and Isak completed a run into the penalty area. The striker has now scored six goals in his last six Premier League appearances.
Wirtz left the match with an ankle problem
Wirtz was replaced in the 65th minute after hurting his ankle. Andoni Iraola offered an initially optimistic assessment, but no final diagnosis had been confirmed by the time of publication.
Liverpool adjusted after the change and protected the centre rather than forcing another goal. The four attacking players had already created enough movement to decide the match, while Brighton struggled to turn possession into a clear finish.
Liverpool recorded a fourth consecutive win
The result was Liverpool’s fourth victory in a row in all competitions. It also placed the team fourth in the Premier League on 15 points, giving the run a clear effect on the table as well as on confidence.
Brighton’s previous match was a 3-2 League Cup win over Manchester United, so they had conceded two goals rather than three. At Anfield they again allowed two, but this time Liverpool kept a clean sheet and did not give them a route back into the contest. The four-match winning sequence now includes different types of performance: Liverpool can attack quickly through several forwards, but they can also protect an early advantage after an injury changes the planned line-up.