alexander-isak-liverpool-brighton
Liverpool's defenders were the stars of the show at Anfield on Sunday when Andoni Iraola's side claimed all three points against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The away side enjoyed 64% of possession throughout the game and only registered one shot on target against Alisson between the sticks for the Reds.
alisson-liverpool-brighton
Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, in particular, combined for 19 defensive contributions and won eight of their nine physical duels to keep the Seagulls at bay.
Iraola still needed his attacking players to step up and make the most of the platform that the defenders gave them, and that is exactly what Alexander Isak did.
How Alexander Isak exploited Brighton's style of play
The Sweden international took advantage of the space that Brighton left when they stepped onto Liverpool to control the game with the ball, constantly making clever runs to stretch the covering defenders.
It was his run between the two covering defenders that led to him making it 2-0 in the first-half, as he positioned himself perfectly to convert Bradley Barcola's cross into the back of the net.
He did not have too many touches of the ball, taking 20 in total, because of the dominance that Brighton had in possession, but he was incredibly effective with the touches that he had.
|||
Vs Brighton Alexander Isak
Minutes 77
Touches 20
Successful passes 10
Chances created 3
Shots 3
Goals 1
Possession lost 6x
Six of his 20 touches of the ball either led to a shot by himself or a teammate, which means that 30% of his touches in the game were shot-creating actions.
Isak used both his technical ability, his speed, and his intelligence to constantly generate chances for himself and others because of the space that Brighton left at the back with their front foot style of play.
Why Isak will be frustrated after the win over Brighton
Despite having such an impressive game on an individual level, the former Newcastle United striker may come away from the game with some frustration because he could have had more goals.
alexander-isak-liverpool
Isak has historically been a prolific finisher at Premier League level and rarely passes up a big chance to score, as he has scored 63 goals from 55.67 xG for Newcastle and Liverpool combined to date.
As a confident and clinical goalscorer, the Swedish star must be particularly frustrated that his teammates failed to create more chances for him against Brighton, given that his goal was the only 'big chance' that he had.
Szoboszlai-Liverpool-Spurs
There were several opportunities throughout the win over Brighton for his fellow attackers to play a pass or put in a cross for him to score, only for them to make the wrong decision or fail to provide the quality required to create a chance.
Liverpool must drop 4/10 star who left Isak frustrated
The player who must have frustrated Isak the most with his failure to make the right decision or provide the right level of quality must have been Cody Gakpo.
gakpo-vuskovic-liverpool-brighton
Liverpool's flying Dutchman had plenty of endeavour and running power in his performance, to his credit, but his complete lack of quality in the final third made him a nuisance for both teams.
The former PSV star came off the pitch with no goals from six shots and zero 'big chances' created for his teammates in 90 minutes of action on the left flank against Brighton.
There were at least three occasions where Gakpo was racing away on the counter-attack and had the opportunity to play an early pass or cross to Isak, only to take far too long to make a decision.
In every instance, the Netherlands international either played a weak pass that was easily intercepted by a Brighton defender or cut inside into a crowd and had a shot blocked or saw a shot sail over the bar, which is why he must have left Isak fuming.
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo reacts
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo reacts
The fact that he lost possession 22 times and only created 0.04 xA worth of chances for his teammates tells a story, as he made too many wrong decisions and too many poor passes or shots, hence why he earned a 4/10 player rating from FFC.
Gakpo has only scored one goal, against Newcastle, in six appearances in the Premier League this season, and has only created one 'big chance' for the team in that time.
Rio Ngumoha, meanwhile, has created two 'big chances' and delivered two assists in three starts in the Champions League, and he should be brought in to start ahead of Gakpo.
The Dutchman's woeful lack of quality in the win over Brighton should result in Iraola dropping him from the side to bring the England international in.