Liverpool Beat Brighton 2-0, First Home Win

Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield on October 25 to win their first home Premier League game of the season.

The Reds made the most of a strong first half. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo both threatened early, and Brighton then created a big chance of their own through Pascal Gross and Yasin Ayari. Liverpool scored first in the 17th minute. A low shot from Florian Wirtz was deflected into his own net by Gross, so the goal went down as an own goal.

Four minutes later, Bradley Barcola charged down a clearance from Olivier Boscagli. He brushed off the challenge and curled a cross into the box, and Isak finished from close range to make it 2-0. Isak has now scored in three straight Premier League appearances.

Brighton saw plenty of the ball after the break but found no way through. They arrived as the league's top scorers with 23 goals and had not conceded in all competitions for more than nine hours. Liverpool, by contrast, had scored just nine goals in their first seven league games.

It was Liverpool's first league win at Anfield since April. It ended a run of five home games without a win, a stretch of six months. It was also the first league win at Anfield under head coach Andoni Iraola, and Liverpool's fourth straight win in all competitions.

The result lifted Liverpool from fifth to fourth. They are now one point behind third-placed Brighton, who lost for only the second time in 13 matches this season. There was one worry for Iraola. Wirtz was substituted with an injury concern, with Trey Nyoni coming on. Later in the match, Ngumoha and Koumas replaced Barcola and Isak.

Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, November 1. Brighton visit Manchester City on Saturday, October 31.