Liverpool returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Brighton with both goals of the game coming from none other than Hugo Ekitike.
After a resilient performance and victory against Inter Milan in midweek, Liverpool won their first Premier League game since beating West Ham United 2-0.
Ekitike opened the scoring within the first minute to hand the Reds their best chance at winning a league fixture in quite some time before scoring from a corner in the second half to bring the three points home.
Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot have officially put their dispute behind them after the Egyptian replaced Joe Gomez in the first half.
Alisson Becker – 8/10
The Brazilian was forced into several saves and, as per usual, rose to the occasion to keep a valuable clean sheet. Alisson was also very commanding in terms of handling crosses and policing his six-yard box. He only loses points for some errant passing.
Milos Kerkez – 7.5/10
One of the Hungarian’s best performances in a Liverpool shirt by some distance.
He was characteristically aggressive in the tackle, but most notably, he was far more composed in possession, showcasing improved decision-making with his passing. 89% of his passes found the mark.
Virgil van Dijk – 8.5/10
After the way Liverpool have defended this season, the skipper will be proud of his defensive teammates for keeping a clean sheet. No notes.
Ibrahima Konate – 8/10
It pleases me to hand Konate a high score after what felt like months of consistently poor performances. He only loses points for some pretty reckless tackles but when it contributes to a clean sheet, it’s not much of a problem. If he can maintain this, the Frenchman will quickly win back favour with supporters.
Joe Gomez – 7.5/10*
He was only on the field for 26 minutes but was virtually perfect. An assist and some well-timed tackles highlight just how good Gomez is, although it’s heartbreaking to see his long-term battle with injury continue.
Mohamed Salah – 8.2/10 (Gomez replacement)
The Egyptian came into the game with a mountain of pressure weighing on him after the controversy of the last week. To his credit, he defied critics of his work ethic by putting in a massive defensive shift and grabbed an assist for Ekitike’s headered second goal.
Not only did he create a big chance, he also played five key passes and arguably should have had a hat-trick of assists. Amazing to see him back in a Liverpool shirt when speculation over his future was rife.
Ryan Gravenberch – 7.5/10
Like another Dutch Liverpool favourite, Gini Wijnaldum, Ryan Gravenberch is fast becoming the most reliable performer at the club. He does all the hard work and makes it look flashy even when he keeps it simple. Still only 23, the sky truly is the limit for this young player.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7/10
Like Konate, it was a refreshingly pleasing performance from Macca. He is by no means up to the standard that he displayed on the way to the Premier League title last season but the more Liverpool as a collective increase their standard, the more we see the positives we’ve come to associate with the Argentine.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 7.5/10
One of Szoboszlai’s worst games of the season and he was still top-notch. Liverpool need to tie him down to a new contract before his 2028 expiry date becomes a topic of conversation.
There are very few midfielders like him in the world. Not only is he technically head and shoulders above most, he’s also versatile, hard-working and improving week by week which feels borderline impossible.
Curtis Jones – 8/10
Wow. Another young player at 24, Jones is quickly becoming undroppable for Liverpool. While he can be guilty of taking too many touches, it’s actually now something that enables the Reds to bait the high press before springing counterattacks into the open space left by incoming opposition players.
Technically speaking, Jones is top class. If he can continue improving at the rate he is, there is no reason he should not be heading to the FIFA World Cup next year with England.
Florian Wirtz – 8/10
Another top performance that deserved a goal or an assist. That’s not a criticism either. While outside noise continues surrounding his goal contribution record this season, rival fans are missing how instrumental he is to Liverpool’s play in possession. Adding to that, he is also extremely hard working and deceptively strong for a player his size.
Hugo Ekitike – 9/10 (Man of the Match)
If it weren’t my job to write about him, I’d simply say I’m speechless. Forget the fact that he scored his second successive brace in the Premier League, he was almost untouchable in possession. The more I watch him, the faster he seems to get.
A steal. Even at £78m.