Ekitike double and Salah cameo help quieten chaos for Slot as Liverpool move up to sixth

TALKING TERMS: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

Premier League: Liverpool 2 Brighton 0

Though Arne Slot had steadied the ship in ensuring Liverpool were four unbeaten coming into this Anfield clash with Brighton, it was clear that only by making it two wins on the spin would it feel like his team had turned a corner.

And so in following up victory over Inter Milan in midweek with three Premier League points thanks to two-goal Hugo Ekitike, the Reds might feel that they signalled they are finally ready to deliver on the immense potential of this expensively assembled squad.

Handily for Slot, it was also a win that, thanks to Mohamed Salah's involvement, will serve to temporarily quieten the furore around his future ahead of an Afcon-enforced absence.

As evidenced at Leeds United only a week ago, Liverpool's confidence remains fragile, and so they could not have asked for a better start than scoring inside 46 seconds.

The goal came from Ekitike, who latched onto Joe Gomez's controlled header to fire emphatically home inside the box.

But Brighton rallied well after that early blow, with Diego Gomez forcing a fine one-on-one save from Alisson Becker after meeting Yankuba Minteh's ball in behind.

Arguably the most notable moment of the match followed, the previously exiled Salah returning to action to replace the injured Gomez.

And the Egyptian played a key role in Liverpool heading into half-time fully deserving their lead, involving himself in the slick football that saw the hosts create the best of the chances before the break.

Inevitably, Brighton produced a response early in the second half, Gomez sliding in to hit the post from a low Mats Wieffer cross before Brajan Gruda shot agonisingly wide from the left side of the area.

But the narrative of a Salah goal involvement after a tumultuous week could no longer be held off and so, with an hour gone, he delivered.

Aided by some woeful Brighton marking, the No.11 teed up Ekitike to head home a corner at the back post and put Liverpool in a commanding position.

The visitors pushed hard from there to try and get back into the game, and substitute Kaoru Mitoma should perhaps have done better than to poke the ball wide for a throw-in when played in inside the box.

However, they struggled to create a good enough opening as the clocked ticked down, with Salah instead coming closest in blasting over and missing out on what would have been a significant goal.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson 6; Gomez 7 (Salah 26), Konate 7, Van Dijk 7, Kerkez 7; Gravenberch 8, Jones 8; Szoboszlai 8 (Chiesa 83, 6), Mac Allister 7, Wirtz 8 (Robertson 78, 6); Ekitike 9 (Isak 78, 6).

Brighton (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen 5; Wieffer 6, Van Hecke 6, Dunk 6, Hinshelwood 5 (Welbeck 82, 6); Baleba 6 (Ayari 65), Gomez 6 (Milner 87, 6); Minteh 7, Gruda 6 (Mitoma 65, 7), Kadioglu 7; Rutter 7 (Kostoulas 82, 6).

Referee: Craig Pawson