Back to Brilliance: Salah Fires Liverpool Past Brighton
Mohamed Salah delivered 3 magical moments as Liverpool powered past Brighton in a dominant FA Cup clash, boosting their Premier League momentum.
When Mohamed Salah last faced Brighton in December, there was anger and recrimination at Anfield, as well as doubts about whether he would ever appear in a Liverpool shirt again. Two months later, the Egyptian great started for Arne Slot again, scored, and made the game better. The reconciliation between the two is for the best.
Salah provided a superb assist, his fourth since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, and scored from the penalty spot, helping Liverpool reach the fifth round with a resounding victory over Fabian Hürzeler's struggling team. There was no evidence that Brighton were underperforming for their under-pressure manager, but their lack of edge was evident, as it had been since their arrival in the Premier League.
A superb strike from Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai – who, according to Salah, is "one of the best players in the world right now" – put Brighton in the lead before the Egyptian international struck the final blow. It could have been even worse for Hürzeler's team if substitute Rio Ngumoha's late goal hadn't been wrongly disallowed for offside.
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"It's great to have Mo on the scoresheet again," said Slot, who benched Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch but otherwise played solidly with his lineup. "But what I like most is that he also helps the team a lot defensively, and that's a very positive thing. The team needs that. Also, every three days, more players are able to play at this intensity level, so we see our quality grow more and more."
It was a slowly developing cup tie. Liverpool took half an hour to show any momentum, while Brighton had the better of the opening game without troubling Alisson much. Hürzeler could have taken some courage from his players' confidence in possession and pressure play, but a third consecutive game without a goal made his weaknesses clear.
Jones, Liverpool's newest player to be assigned a right-back shift, signaled the beginning of improvement by firing a slightly angled drive into Jason Steele's top corner. A few minutes later, Cody Gakpo headed in a free-kick from Szoboszlai, but he was offside.
Liverpool finally played with the passion and intent this occasion required. Salah outpaced Ferdi Kadioglu, and as he prepared to shoot, Brighton's left-back snatched the ball from his toes. Then Milos Kerkez found Steele's fingertips, who had space behind the visitors' defense, to head home Alexis Mac Allister's quickly taken free-kick.
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Brighton couldn't resist Liverpool's pressure and finally broke through shortly before the interval. Striker Charalampos Kostoulas's tackle on Mac Allister accidentally deflected the ball to Kerkez. The Hungarian left-back delivered a dangerous low cross into the six-yard box, where Jones, unmarked between Jan Paul van Hecke and Kadioglu, side-footed a shot under the crossbar. The midfielder's first goal of the season rewarded Liverpool's impressive play, yet Brighton responded immediately.
Jack Hinshelwood could have equalized quickly by beating Gakpo to Harry Howell's corner, but his header from close range went wide. In first-half stoppage time, a mistake by Jones gave Diego Gomez a one-on-one opportunity against Alisson. The Liverpool keeper stepped forward and saved the forward's low shot with his feet.
Luck favored Alisson early in the second half when his clearance hit the oncoming Gomez and rebounded out of the Liverpool goal. The keeper then made a crucial intervention to prevent Lewis Dunk's header from reaching the unmarked Van Hecke. This was a crucial moment, as Liverpool effectively equalized the tie with their next attack.
The home team's second goal was brilliant in its creation and execution. When Gakpo's crossfield pass reached Salah, the striker leapt into the air in a single motion and volleyed the ball past Szoboszlai. The Hungarian captain didn't break his pace and unleashed a powerful first-time drive that beat Steele.
Salah won a penalty and converted it, giving Liverpool their third goal. A glimpse of Salah's old style was on display when he turned Kadioglu and dribbled past the left-back into the box, where Pascal Gross pulled him back. Stuart Attwell immediately pointed to the spot, and the Egyptian international gave Steele no chance, scoring a powerful penalty.
"A few moments decided the game, unfortunately in the wrong direction," said Hürzeler. "Liverpool had the ability to take their chances. We just weren't as effective."
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