Liverpool 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Player of the Year 2018 Mo Salah has picked up where he left off, scoring the only goal of the game to fire Liverpool to the top of the Premier League.
This was a match everyone expected the Reds to win against Brighton, and one goal was enough; Liverpool fans will have wished it had been more comfortable, though. But a win’s a win, and Jurgen Klopp’s team sits proudly at the top of the league for the first time in almost two years.
The Premier League 2018 results from earlier in the day had been pretty good for both teams: relegation favourites Huddersfield and Cardiff played out a goalless draw, a handy result for the Seagulls. But Liverpool will have been particularly interested in Manchester City’s failure to beat newly promoted Wolves, which opened the door.
Anfield has been a fortress for many years, which Brighton boss Chris Hughton knows only too well, and again it proved. And now the Reds have hit the top, the Premier League 2018 odds on the title heading to Liverpool will drop slightly, but remember that these are early days.
Highlights of the game
Liverpool started off like a train, and Brighton keeper Mat Ryan was called into action as early as the ninth minute: he made a superb save at his near post after Roberto Firmino had met wing-back Andy Robertson’s pinpoint cross.
And on 15 minutes, the Reds almost went ahead. And it was local boy Trent Alexander-Arnold who almost blew the roof off Anfield with a blistering dead-ball strike which crashed off the crossbar. Klopp and England fans have high hopes for this young man.
The Reds continued to dominate, and Salah had a sight of goal. The excellent Ryan was equal to his angled drive, but the Egyptian superstar scored on 23 minutes. James Milner was alert to some sloppy Brighton play, winning the ball and finding Sadio Mane, who passed to Firmino. When the Brazilian put Salah in, he fired home in off the post and Anfield erupted.
Liverpool continued to press but went in at the break just a goal up. And then right at the start of the second half, Brighton created their first chance to serve as a reminder to the Reds. The Seagulls stunned Manchester United last week, and Anthony Knockaert had a superb opportunity to put the wind up Liverpool but he fluffed his lines.
Liverpool dominated the second half as they did the first but a second goal just wouldn’t come, and a one-goal lead is always a precarious one. Alexander almost got the goal his excellent play deserved but his shot was deflected wide.
And Liverpool keeper Alisson was called on at the death to push a Pascal Gross header past the post to give Liverpool their best start in five years.
The Reds could have scored a few, but in the end, one was just enough.
Key Statistics
With SBOBET odds of 1.15 on a home win, we could have expected a landslide, but it just didn’t come. Seventy per cent possession and 22 shots to six tell their own story, while Liverpool kept the ball much better with 87 per cent passing accuracy compared to the Seagulls’ 73 per cent.
Liverpool won with a thoroughly professional display at Crystal Palace on Monday, and Klopp’s team is looking as strong at the back as they are exciting going forward.
Another shutout means Allison is yet to concede a goal for Liverpool, and the Reds’ last home league defeat is as far back as April 2017.
Chris Hughton has now lost all six of his Premier League games against Liverpool, and he needs to improve his side’s away form. They won just two on the road all last season.
But when you’re up against Salah, there’s sometimes not a lot you can do. He has now scored 29 goals in 29 appearances at Anfield in all competitions.
What’s next?
So it’s three from three for the Reds. But their title credentials are about to be severely tested when they make trips to Leicester City and Spurs. The 2016 champions have made a good start with six points from their first three fixtures, while Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs won their first two prior to playing Manchester United on Monday.
Brighton fans can take heart having won three points from fixtures against Manchester United and Liverpool, and up next they have Fulham at home followed by Southampton away.
Both teams currently sit below the Seagulls, but there are no easy games in this league.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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