Liverpool showed shades of their former selves as Brighton were soundly beaten, Arne Slot taking a calculated gamble which worked – but may come back to bite him.
Liverpool 3-0 Brighton
FA Cup Fourth Round | Anfield
February 14, 2026
Goals: Jones 42′, Szoboszlai 56′, Salah pen 68′
Mo Salah and Liverpool are still capable
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah touches the badge as he celebrates after scoring the third goal during the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It was both a refreshing and comforting sight, seeing Liverpool spraying the ball around and attacking with both poise and confidence.
With a certain Mo Salah the leading light in the final third and the Reds constantly searching for their Egyptian talisman, you’d be excused for thinking you’d tuned into a fixture from 12 months ago.
Liverpool, and Salah especially, needed a match like this. Brighton are often a surefire bet for the Reds to be able to play their usual preferred brand of football.
Credit to the Seagulls, they have footballing principles and will stick to them regardless of whether it fails to bear fruit. They looked to play out and around Liverpool at Anfield tonight and, in turn, the Reds were able to both match and overwhelm them.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the third goal during the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Anfield roaring and confidence surging through all of those wearing a red shirt, Liverpool can quickly return to being a formidable outfit.
Salah had a solid game, the best we’ve seen him for a long while. Another goal and assist to his name and richly deserved.
His parting act a breakaway one-on-one, after leaving Ferdi Kadioglu in a heap, did serve to illustrate that Liverpool’s living legend has lost some of his ferocity and lightning pace but, four months away from his 34th birthday, Salah still has a hell of a lot to offer.
Curtis Jones proves a huge point
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The Scouser in the team made his name stand out here and deserves big credit. He’ll be quietly chuffed with his evening’s work.
Speculation continues to swirl regarding the 25-year-old, who enjoyed a stellar run in the starting XI week after week during the festive period only to be cast surprisingly back into the shadows.
Rival teams are interested and the contract is ticking down. Big decisions need to be made, but Jones picked up where he left off and looked like a player who hasn’t missed a single minute.
A goal and a performance full of neat touches, aggressive pressing and creative passing. Exactly what this team needs.
Rio Ngumoha and Giorgi Mamardashvili have cause for complaint
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool substitute Calvin Ramsay on the bench before the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Teen sensation Rio Ngumoha may have received his call in the latter stages with Liverpool cruising at 3-0, but many of us were expecting the youngster to be on the pitch from the first whistle. Likely the player himself did, too.
As is now the norm this incredibly talented forward looked electric upon his introduction, his touch crisp and his awareness razor sharp.
His wrongly disallowed finish into the Kop end goal showed distinction beyond his years.
And yet, would Ngumoha have got on had Liverpool been chasing the game? Likewise with Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is understood to have been issued a series of promises upon choosing to sign for Liverpool with Alisson still firmly first choice.
Winning football matches will always come first as the non-negotiable priority, but both these lads will have cause for feeling quite badly short-changed.
Arne Slot must now be careful with depth remarks
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot on the bench before the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
In a similar vein the manager has now put himself in a bit of an awkward position when it comes to future press conferences.
Liverpool have had awful luck with injuries, there is no question about that, but Slot has been quick to highlight the perilous positions he’s been placed in when it comes to having to field players in the Premier League on limited rest or without returning fully from injury.
And so here, with an evening FA Cup fixture in the deep-freeze that is February, Slot still opted to select the injury prone Alisson, didn’t entertain the idea of trialing Calvin Ramsay in the cursed right-back position and didn’t make any meaningful rotation subs until the game was all but done.
It was a gamble that he can say paid off, but it could have ended very badly.
Hungarian hitmen are leading the way
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates after scoring the second goal during the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The last month has seen many players begin to shine for Liverpool, despite results not following suit.
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have been getting plenty of deserved praise, but it is the Hungarian hitmen of Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez who are putting in serious shifts for this Liverpool side.
Both were excellent against Brighton, playing with huge appetites and confidence to put their opponents to the sword.
Szoboszlai has been faultless for most of the campaign and currently looks a cert for Liverpool’s Player of the Season, but Kerkez has risen admirably from the player who looked to be struggling after first pulling on a red shirt.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 14, 2026: Liverpool's Milos Kerkez during the FA Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Like Liverpool generally, Kerkez benefits massively when the team on the opposite side of the pitch play attacking, aggressive and expansive football. It suits him down to the ground, his refined style with pitbull tenacity.
Not all visiting teams will set up like Brighton, as we’ve seen for most of the season, but when Kerkez gets huge confidence-massaging performances like this under his belt it is always a good thing.