Liverpool’s winning mentality shone through yet again in their 2-1 win over Brighton, with the media dissecting another big result for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp‘s men were stunned when Danny Welbeck put the Seagulls 1-0 up in the second minute, but they battled through a tough assignment.
Luis Diaz equalised with a good finish before Mohamed Salah scored in front of the Kop to seal the win for Liverpool.
Here’s how the media assessed the Reds’ victory…
Liverpool got over the finish line in dogged fashion…
The Guardian‘s Will Unwin praised potential next Liverpool manager Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side, as they made life tough for Klopp’s team:
“In a tight title race, being faultless in their final five home games looks like being a prerequisite if Liverpool are to lift the Premier League trophy in May.
“Few will give them a tougher time than Brighton as Roberto De Zerbi did his utmost to show he has the tactical nous to be Jürgen Klopp’s successor.
“Danny Welbeck silenced Anfield after 87 seconds but Brighton rarely left their half afterwards and the Liverpool roar returned thanks to Luis Díaz and Salah.”
Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph also admitted that this was a tough day at the office for the Reds:
“Job done for Liverpool at Anfield, over to the Etihad. Jurgen Klopp’s side are top of the league pending the outcome of their title rivals’ skirmish later, but how they had to work for their points.
“The 2-1 victory is Klopp’s first over Roberto De Zerbi, and the Italian underlined his credentials as Brighton looked an elite side comfortable in their surroundings.
[…]
“This title race feels like a marathon AND a sprint. Liverpool are still poised heading towards the final straight.”
Jonathan Jurejko of BBC Sport focused on a profligate Salah, but wondered how big this win could be:
“All the Reds could do was focus on winning their game against a Brighton side with a good record against Jurgen Klopp‘s team, and led by a manager in Roberto de Zerbi being touted as a potential successor to the German.
“The hosts had to show fight, belief and patience before Salah, not for the first time, ended up being the match-winner in a game of huge magnitude. For more than an hour it had looked like it was not going to be the Egyptian forward’s day as a host of chances went begging for the Reds talisman.
“Salah had seven shots in the first half without really stretching Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen, while he could not quite reach Diaz’s dinked cross to the far post after half-time. Another opportunity came when Mac Allister’s slick through ball cut through his former club’s defence and this time Salah found the bottom corner with a composed finish.”
On X, David Lynch felt it was “great performance” by Liverpool, especially given the circumstances:
“A crucial and deserved win for Liverpool. It’s extremely difficult to keep Brighton quiet for 90 minutes but they combined (mostly) doing that with peppering the opposition goal.
“A great performance worthy of taking them top of the Premier League.”
Alexis Mac Allister purred at Anfield, earning lots of praise…
On Sky Sports, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher felt the Argentine was the standout figure at Anfield:
“Again, this is all down to Mac Allister, who has been the best player on the pitch by a mile.
“When the game’s been frantic, he’s been the man with the cool head.”
?? What a player Alexis Mac Allister is. Another great game from him.
•? ?Most chances created in the match (6)
•? ?5 key passes
•? ?92% pass accuracy
•? ?6 recoveries12 goal contribution for #LFC so far this season – the joint most from midfield. pic.twitter.com/jhJHaWiRFG
— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) March 31, 2024
Also speaking on Sky Sports, Roy Keane was similarly impressed with Liverpool’s No. 10:
“He is a smart footballer, I’ll tell you that — I’m usually impressed with him and his decision making.
“And again, like anything else when you just speed things up in the final third. He gets it here, the execution, the weight of the pass, the first touch from Salah — beautiful.
“Sexy football to me, this, love watching it.”
