Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 for a fourth successive win as Andoni Iraola's methods take hold
Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield made it four wins in a row in all competitions for Andoni Iraola's side, and eight in ten going back to the start of September. Brighton stay third despite their four-game winning run ending, with a trip to Manchester City next.
- Result: Liverpool 2-0 Brighton at Anfield
- Liverpool form: Four straight wins in all competitions; eight in ten since early September
- Possession: Liverpool had just 36 per cent of the ball and won possession in the final third five times
- Brighton shots: 17 at Anfield — their most in a Premier League game with one or fewer shots on target
- Next up: Brighton travel to Manchester City after their winning run ended; they remain third
What was said
"I'm liking a lot of things."
"It was a missed opportunity."
"If that goes in, the game is completely different. We have to learn we don't have to chase the game. We lost our structure a little bit at 2-0 down."
"It was always about us."
"We were just Bournemouth."
Iraola's comments are deliberately understated. A coach who prizes speed and incisiveness above possession will not mourn a 36 per cent share of the ball if his forwards kept creating. Hurzeler's words carry more edge: Brighton's wastefulness in front of goal, and their loss of structure at 2-0, are the themes he must now fix.
The numbers
- Liverpool: four consecutive wins in all competitions; eight wins in ten since the start of September
- Liverpool won possession in the final third five times — their second-highest total in the Premier League this season
- Liverpool had 36 per cent possession against Brighton
- Brighton had 17 shots at Anfield but one or fewer on target — their most shots in a Premier League game with that low an on-target return
- Brighton had averaged 3.3 goals per game in the league before their blank at Liverpool
- Brighton drew 0-0 with Czech side Jablonec in the Conference League on Thursday before the Anfield defeat
- Crystal Palace have conceded 19 Premier League goals this season — more than any other team
- Bournemouth have four wins in a row in all competitions, scoring 11 and conceding none in those four games
- Sunderland have scored six Premier League goals this season — joint-fewest of any side — and failed to score in three consecutive home league games
- Sunderland failed to generate even one expected goal in each of their last two home games
Why Iraola's Liverpool look like an Iraola team
Bradley Barcola provided an assist for a second straight Premier League game, this time after being switched to the right flank. Alexander Isak led the line with another clinical display. Florian Wirtz had bright moments, taking the shot that forced the opening goal before coming off in the second half. Rio Ngumoha, the star man in the midweek win over Villarreal, was needed for only a quarter of an hour, with Cody Gakpo also impressing.
The pattern is clear: Liverpool attacked quickly and directly, were rewarded for it, and did the damage in the first half. They failed to capitalise on counter-attacking openings after the break, but the underlying identity is now visible. Iraola values speed and incisiveness over possession, so a 36 per cent share is a feature, not a bug. The five final-third possession wins show a side pressing with intent rather than chasing the ball.
Brighton's afternoon was defined by waste. Yasin Ayari should have put them in front before Liverpool's opener, and Hurzeler knows it. Seventeen shots with barely a save to show for them tells the story of a team that had averaged 3.3 goals per game in the league and then produced nothing at Anfield.
Palace, United and Sunderland: the wider picture from a bruising weekend
Pressure is mounting on Pierre Sage at Crystal Palace after a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle, following a 5-0 humiliation at Brighton. Newcastle's 11-minute double shortly after half-time exposed a side short of defensive resilience. Palace have conceded 19 league goals, more than anyone. The argument in the piece is blunt: when the house is on fire, you send for the fire brigade, not an architect. Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira are named as firefighters who fit the profile.
At Manchester United, Michael Carrick is fighting for his job after a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth. All three summer signings started — Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos — and were outclassed by Bournemouth's Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook. Bournemouth's Rayan could have had four. Sunderland's 0-0 with Leeds extended a run of failing to score in three straight home league games, with James Trafford barely tested by Leeds.
Talking points
- Liverpool winning with 36 per cent possession is the clearest sign yet that Iraola's direct, pressing style has replaced any possession-first instinct at Anfield.
- Palace conceding 19 goals already is a structural failure, and appointing a firefighter like Dyche or Pereira would be a statement about survival over style.
- United's midfield of Tielemans, Baleba and Santos was outbattled by Adams and Cook — a recruitment problem that a new manager cannot simply coach away.
- Brighton's 17 shots with one or fewer on target away at Liverpool suggests their finishing, not their build-up, is the growing concern.
What happens next
Brighton travel to Manchester City next, a fixture that will test whether their blank at Anfield was a blip or the start of a pattern. Liverpool take their four-game winning run into the next round of fixtures. Palace must decide on Sage's future, with Dyche and Pereira named as firefighter options, while Sunderland's attacking numbers need to improve before relegation becomes a serious possibility.
Frequently asked questions
Did Liverpool beat Brighton?
Yes — Liverpool won 2-0 at Anfield, making it four wins in a row in all competitions.
How much possession did Liverpool have against Brighton?
Liverpool had just 36 per cent of the ball, in line with Iraola's preference for speed and incisiveness over possession.
Who is under pressure at Crystal Palace?
Pierre Sage is under pressure after Palace's 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle, following a 5-0 loss at Brighton, with the club having conceded 19 league goals this season.
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