Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: The Anfield wait is over

Two goals in five first-half minutes, and then an hour of defending that was better than it was pretty. Liverpool’s first home league win of the season, and it came against the side with the best goal difference in the division.

Two goals in five minutes

The opener came from Ronald Araújo — a well-hit, low driven cross that found Wirtz in the middle. Wirtz’s shot went in off Pascal Groß on 17 minutes, so the record books give it as an own goal, but the move was all Araújo and Wirtz.

Four minutes later it was two. Barcola and Isak linked up, Barcola getting to the byline and cutting it back, Isak finishing it off. Understat makes that chance worth 0.60 xG — the only clear opening Liverpool created all afternoon, and it went in.

Brighton had the ball. They did nothing with it.

This is the number that defines the game.

The game was wide open for most of it, and because of the game state Brighton dominated possession and chances. But Liverpool dug in and defended very well. Eighteen shots and one on target is the proof.

	Liverpool	Brighton
Goals	2	0
Shots	13	18
Shots on target	4	1
Expected goals (xG)	1.28	1.31
Chances worth 0.3 xG or more	1	1
Touches in the final third	9	16

Source: Understat.

Brighton edged the xG and still lost 2-0, which tells you how little of their 1.31 was worth anything. Their best moment was Yasin Ayari missing a 0.40 chance on 13 minutes, before Liverpool had scored. After that, their next best opening was worth 0.13. Ayari also hit the post.

Alisson was not challenged much. He didn’t need to be.

Araújo was man of the match

What a game from him. A performance from someone who would die for the badge, and who loves getting stuck in.

He delivered the cross for the opener. He also threw his head at the floor to prevent a goal at the other end — the kind of defending that doesn’t show up in any of the numbers above but decided whether this was 2-0 or 2-1.

Jacquet deserves a mention too, with a very good block in the box.

The others

Barcola was excellent, and the part that stood out was the defensive work. Tracking back, flying around the place, showing his pace in both directions. He also set up the second.

Kerkez looked strong again. Good to see him finding some joy and playing well.

Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni came on later and looked good. Tsimikas replaced Kerkez, and Koumas came on as well.

Anfield, finally

Going into this game the home league record read two points from three, with two goals scored and five conceded. It now reads:

	Pts	GF	GA
Before Brighton	2 of 9	2	5
After Brighton	5 of 12	4	5

Data: Understat

Still not a good record. But it is a first league win here, a first home clean sheet, and it came against the best attacking side in the league on form.

One thing that still hasn’t changed

The preview flagged that Liverpool had not scored from a set piece all season, and that Brighton’s one weakness was conceding from corners.

Neither mattered. Liverpool generated 0.06 xG from corners across the whole afternoon, and the season total is now zero goals from 2.72 xG of corner situations. Both goals came from open play, and one of them was an own goal.

It is eight league games now. At some point it stops being variance.

Where it leaves them

Liverpool are fourth on 15 points, a point behind Brighton, who stay third. Manchester City and Arsenal lead on 21.

Brighton’s remarkable run is over on both counts: the four-game clean sheet streak, and the scoring. They have now gone from 23 goals off 16.79 xG to 23 off 18.10 — the over-performance that defined their season narrowed by more than a goal in a single afternoon, exactly the correction the preview wondered about.

Fenerbahçe away in the Champions League on Wednesday, then Arsenal at Anfield next Sunday.