31/03/2024
MATCH REPORT: Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah strike as Liverpool come from behind to beat Brighton at Anfield.
Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at Anfield and maintain their pursuit of the Premier League title.
Mohamed Salah’s Kop-end finish midway through the second half settled Sunday’s game in the Reds’ favour, after Luis Diaz had equalised Danny Welbeck’s second-minute opener.
Jürgen Klopp’s side could have been further ahead to relieve themselves of the tense finish that developed, but they stood firm amid a spell of late Brighton pressure to ensure they returned from the international break with a vital victory in front of a new record league attendance of 60,061.
Team news
Conor Bradley came into the starting XI in place of Andy Robertson in Liverpool’s sole change from their last outing at Old Trafford.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Diaz (Gakpo, 89), Szoboszlai (Gravenberch, 90+4), Nunez (Elliott, 83), Mac Allister, Salah, Quansah, Bradley.
Unused subs: Adrian, Konate, Tsimikas, Clark, McConnell, Danns.
First half
Welbeck’s finish – the forward crisply drove in the loose ball from just inside the area following a breakaway down the left flank – put Brighton ahead before the game had settled into any kind of rhythm.
Liverpool reacted well, although they lacked a cutting edge and visiting goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was not required to make a save during a flurry of off-target attempts.
Salah sent a trademark curler just wide of the top corner before miscuing a volley from a lovely, clipped pass by Alexis Mac Allister, who had just seen a shot of his own clear the crossbar.
Salah then toe-poked wide after Bradley had strode forward from right-back but the Reds were not behind for much longer.
Brighton could only partially clear a corner and Salah won a header on the edge of the box, with Diaz reading the situation perfectly to profit from a deflection off a defender and hook home on the volley.
A string of h