They say that grinding out victories while you aren't playing well is the mark of champions and once again Liverpool were far from their best but held firm at the back while doing just enough to win and claim those all important 3 points to take their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 7. It wasn't the most thrilling game of football, but Liverpool dominated the possession and despite Fabinho having to stand in at the back while Liverpool lacks natural central defenders they looked as solid as ever against a dangerous Brighton side who very rarely fail to score at home. Liverpool did their job and piled the pressure on Spurs who take on Man United on Sunday and City who face Wolves on Monday Night Football to try and keep up with the pace.
As expected, Jurgen Klopp named Fabinho as the emergency centre back cover while Gomez, Lovren and Matip all recover from injuries however Jordan Henderson gave the Liverpool manager a boost, winning his race for fitness to play in midfield meaning Klopp could stick with the 4-2-3-1 system. Mo Salah lead the line as the main striker with Firmino in behind him flanked by Mane and Shaqiri on the wings. Wijnaldum played alongside Henderson in the deep midfield roles and Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold completed the back line in front of Alisson in goal. There was however more late injury concern when right-back Trent Alexander Arnold stumbled over a football during the warm-up ahead of the game and seemed to severely roll his ankle. Klopp had Camacho on the bench who played right-back in the FA Cup tie against Wolves as well as Milner but despite looking uncomfortable Alexander Arnold remained in the line-up and proceeded to play.
Brighton set up very defensively which gave Liverpool a lot of possession and room to pass the ball around in their own half and the middle of the pitch but left little space for them to make anything happen in the attacking third. Alexander Arnold played on despite the pre-match injury but it seemed to be affecting him and as a result, Liverpool didn't play many balls down the right side of the pitch and predominantly attacking down the left side via Andy Robertson. It was one of his crosses which created Liverpool's best chance first half when he whipped the ball in but it bypassed Firmino before the Brazilian could make contact and direct it into the goal. On a few occasions Liverpool attempted to play long balls over the top while an attacker made a run forward to try and get in behind the back four of Brighton, while Shaqiri managed to get on the end of one and Salah another the Brighton defence seemed to recover too quickly and reorganise meaning that the attacks were unable to lead to anything. The first half came to a close with the score still 0-0 and it seemed like Klopp would have to make some alterations if he wanted to break down Brighton's resistance.
As the 2nd half got underway it seemed like Liverpool had made some changes, it seemed like the formation had switched to 4-3-1-2 with Shaqiri dropping back to make a midfield 3, Firmino and Mane playing as forwards while Mo Salah seemed to be given a free role allowing him to roam wherever he liked to find space. This made an immediate impact as the Brighton defenders tasked with marking Salah in the first half were now being asked to either move out of position and leave a gap in their back line or remain where they were but allow Salah to be unmarked. On the 47th minute, the Egyptian attacked down the left into some empty space and fired off his first shot of the game but was denied by Button in the Brighton goal. A minute later he picked the ball up on the right side, he turned and beat Pascal Gross easily to bring the ball further into the box where he looked to shape for another strike at goal, but Gross grabbed a fistful of Salah's shirt in an attempt to pull him back before swiping a kick at Salah's leg as he swung it which sent the Egyptian tumbling to the floor. The referee had a good view of the incident and blew his whistle to award the penalty. Liverpool has been awarded quite a few penalty kicks recently and there have been even criticisms of Salah suggesting he goes down too easily however I don't think there can be much question with this incident, it was a clear penalty and the correct call. Salah stepped up and smashed the ball past Button to score his 14th league goal of the season giving Liverpool the lead early in the second half.
For a time after the goal the game seemed to carry on in the same vein with Liverpool in control and could have added to their lead had a ball into the box from Alexander Arnold found Salah but around the hour mark the game opened up as Brighton seemed more willing to push up the pitch and try to get an equaliser. Fabinho had had an easy game for the first hour filling in at centre back but had to make a crucial block to deny Gross from scoring after March had found him with a cross making a run into the box. A minute later the Brazilian was called upon again when a cross came over to Murray at the far post and the ball was played towards him but Fabinho cut it out before the ball arrived and cleared the danger. The final 20 minutes of the game became more lively with both teams launching attacks and it was actually Brighton who seemed to be looking the more dangerous and getting the clearest cut of the chances. But Liverpool held firm and the game came to an end with Liverpool winning by 1-0 the same scoreline as when these sides met earlier in the season at Anfield.
It wasn't the greatest of games but it was an incredible victory over a dangerous team, the signs are promising that Joel Matip and Joe Gomez will shortly be ready to return but Fabinho slotting in and playing well shows the great depth Jurgen Klopp has within his squad. Liverpool remains in 1st and moves to 57 points, 7 clear of Manchester City and 9 ahead of Spurs before their games this round. Previously when Liverpool had been top of the league at the halfway stage they then went on to have terrible results in January and fell behind, so it was vital that they won this game and returned to winning ways immediately following the defeat to City. Liverpool now has a full week to prepare for their next game on January 19th which takes place at Anfield as they face a visit from Crystal Palace.