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Ferdi Kadioglu’s eye-catching 14th-minute strike handed the visitors the lead on Saturday, but the Seagulls were unable to make their chances count in a dominant first half.
Cody Gakpo, scorer of two goals against Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek, restored parity in the 69th minute when his cross narrowly evaded Darwin Nunez and nestled into the corner.
And the turnaround was complete three minutes later when Mohamed Salah curled a trademark left-footed finish beyond Bart Verbruggen.
With Arsenal and Manchester City losing, Liverpool are top of the pile on 25 points, two clear of their nearest challengers after the opening 10 games, while Brighton are seventh.
How the match unfolded
Nunez was denied a stunning solo goal after flicking the ball over Joel Veltman and shrugging of Kadioglu’s challenge, only to see his effort tipped behind by Verbruggen’s outstretched left glove.
However, a bolt from the blue saw Brighton take the lead, with Kadioglu notching his first Seagulls goal with a stunning strike that cannoned in off the post.
Liverpool’s search for an equaliser was met with a flurry of saves from Verbruggen, who denied Alexis Mac Allister a goal against his former club, with Brighton having earlier gone close through Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck.
But two goals in just 128 seconds turned the match on its head, with Gakpo’s attempted cross going all the way through to draw the Reds level.
Salah then powered Arne Slot’s side in front, capping off a sweeping move as Liverpool turned defence into attack. Curtis Jones supplied the pass out to the Egyptian, who set himself on his stronger foot and bent a sublime effort into the left-hand corner to delight the Anfield faithful and send the Reds top.
Slot’s comeback kings
Liverpool made a name of being the comeback kings under Jurgen Klopp, but their inspired second-half turnaround proved Slot has mastered those powers of recovery too.
After a dismal opening 45 minutes that saw Brighton dominate for large parts, a return to the ruthless attacking displays that have been on show for much of the season eventually emerged after the restart.
Mac Allister’s header, that was saved by Verbruggen, was a sign of their intent, with Virgil van Dijk squandering a golden chance moments later after being picked out by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery – the Dutchman unable to find the desired connection.
Luis Diaz’s introduction provided the spark that was missing in the final third, and his impact helped pave the way for Gakpo and Salah to take centre stage.
Slot’s latest result could be his biggest, given the results around them, though there were worrying signs that he will look to rectify before Liverpool welcome former favourite Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League next week.
Seagulls left to lament profligacy
At one point Brighton looked destined to end the day inside the top four, but their inability to put away their chances proved costly.
Kadioglu should have doubled his tally when he fired over from close range, while Rutter was denied one-on-one by Caoimhin Kelleher.
Welbeck then curled a free-kick just wide shortly before the break. Against another side Brighton may have got away with their wastefulness, but the Reds’ ruthless streak eventually shone through.
Verbruggen was on hand to deny Salah’s attempted flick early in the second half after the Liverpool star was played through by Nunez, but he was powerless in stopping the two goals that won the game for the hosts.
While still in the infancy of his tenure, this was Fabian Hurzeler’s first Anfield experience. He now knows the difficulty of winning there, but will take the positives from his side’s display when they welcome a wounded Pep Guardiola side to the Amex Stadium next Saturday.
Club reports
Liverpool report | Brighton report
Match officials
Referee: Tony Harrington. Assistants: Scott Ledger, Adrian Holmes. Fourth official: Bobby Madley. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Wade Smith.
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