Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield despite barely a third of the ball

Liverpool did not need the ball to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at Anfield. Pascal Groß turned Alexander Isak's low cross into his own net in the 17th minute, and Isak volleyed in a second four minutes later — both goals arriving inside a nine-minute spell that settled the contest, even though Brighton would go on to have almost two-thirds of the possession across the full ninety.

The opener was unfortunate on Brighton's part rather than a defensive breakdown: Groß got the faintest of touches on Isak's ball across the six-yard box and turned it past his own goalkeeper. Isak made amends for any doubt over his first involvement by finishing with a left-footed volley four minutes later, set up by Bradley Barcola, for his second of the afternoon's contributions and the goal that took the game away from Brighton before the half-hour mark.

Match facts

• 17' — Pascal Groß (own goal, credited to Liverpool)
• 21' — Alexander Isak (Liverpool), assisted by Bradley Barcola

Brighton's response produced territory without real danger. Bart Verbruggen's goal was tested only four times on target across the match, and Liverpool's own back line — Virgil van Dijk and Ronald Araujo at the centre of it — did not allow a second-half opening that threatened to change the scoreline. Olivier Boscagli was booked for Brighton right at the end of the first half, and Costinha followed him into the book with just under twenty minutes to go.

Dominant on the ball, second on the scoreboard

The possession split — 64.4% for Brighton to Liverpool's 35.6% — is a reminder of how Fabian Hürzeler's side like to play: patient, pass-heavy, happy to have the ball for long spells without necessarily turning it into chances. It did not work at Anfield. Brighton completed 486 of 576 passes to Liverpool's 224 of 324, yet managed only one shot on target all afternoon to Liverpool's four, and Andoni Iraola's side were content to defend the lead once it was in hand.

A fourth win in five for Iraola's Liverpool

This continues a strong run for Liverpool across competitions. Since a 0-3 home defeat to Manchester City two matchweeks ago — their only loss in that stretch — Andoni Iraola's side have won four of five: a 6-3 away win over LASK Linz and a 4-3 comeback at home to Villarreal in the Champions League sandwiched around a 2-1 league win at Brentford, with this victory over Brighton extending the run. Before the City defeat, Liverpool had also already beaten Bournemouth 1-0 away back in September, part of a season that opened shakily — 2-2 draws away at Newcastle and at home to Nottingham Forest in the first two rounds — but has steadied considerably since.

Brighton's five-match unbeaten run ends

For Brighton, the defeat snaps a run that had brought four wins and a draw in their previous five Premier League matches, including a 3-0 win at Arsenal and a 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace the last time out. Fabian Hürzeler's side had conceded only once in that run before Anfield, where their control of the ball counted for little against a Liverpool side happy to sit in and pick its moments.

Teams

Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1: Alisson Becker in goal, Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez and Ronald Araujo across the back, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch holding, and Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Bradley Barcola supporting Alexander Isak. Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Kostas Tsimikas and Lewis Koumas were the four introduced from the bench.

Brighton set up the same way under Fabian Hürzeler, with Bart Verbruggen behind Lewis Dunk, Luka Vuskovic, Olivier Boscagli and Ferdi Kadioglu, Yasin Ayari and Chema Andrés screening, and Pascal Groß, Charalambos Kostoulas, Maxim De Cuyper and Diego Gómez supporting the attack. Costinha, Jack Hinshelwood, Malick Yalcouyé and Georginio Rutter came on in search of a way back into the game.

What's next

Liverpool went into the weekend 5th on 12 points from seven games, just a point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and the Champions League places. Brighton had been 3rd on 16 points from seven games, with the division's best goal difference (+18) heading into the round. The defeat is only Brighton's second of the season, but it ends a run that had them firmly inside the top-four conversation; Liverpool, meanwhile, keep moving in the right direction after a shaky start.