Ekitike scores twice as Liverpool comfortably defeat Brighton

Football result - Hugo Ekitike’s impressive display enabled Liverpool to secure a straightforward victory over Brighton, maintaining their pursuit of the European competition places.

The first half of the match between Liverpool and Brighton started at a high tempo right from the opening minutes. In the very first minute, the home side at Anfield made an early impact when Hugo Ekitike capitalized on a pass inside the box to deliver a decisive shot, putting Liverpool ahead 1-0.

This early goal boosted Coach Arne Slot’s players’ confidence, allowing them to dominate possession and continuously execute short passing moves to control the game.

During the following period, Liverpool created several notable chances. Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai all took shots on Brighton’s goal, but goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen remained focused to preserve hope for the visitors. On the other hand, Brighton also showed threat with quick counterattacks, notably Diego Gomez’s shot that forced Alisson to make a fine save.

The half saw intense midfield battles, causing referee Craig Pawson to frequently halt the game. Liverpool suffered a setback when Joe Gomez got injured and had to be substituted by Mohamed Salah.

Before the first half ended, Brighton pushed forward to equalize but failed to do so.

In the second half, Liverpool continued to keep control and quickly increased pressure on Brighton’s goal. Early on, Hugo Ekitike had multiple chances after bursts and shots inside the box, but inaccuracy prevented the hosts from extending their lead. Conversely, the visitors also launched notable responses, including Brajan Gruda and Mats Wieffer’s near misses that kept Liverpool’s defense alert.

The balanced play continued until the 60th minute, when a turning point occurred. From a right-side corner, Mohamed Salah delivered a precise cross, allowing Hugo Ekitike to rise high and powerfully head home, doubling Liverpool’s advantage and electrifying the Anfield crowd.

This goal allowed the home team to play more comfortably, while Brighton was forced to push forward in search of a goal. The next minutes saw numerous substitutions from both sides to refresh their tactics. Brighton brought on Mitoma and Ayari to boost their attack, while Liverpool introduced Alexander Isak and Andrew Robertson to strengthen their defense.

Despite Brighton’s efforts to create more chances late on, their shots lacked precision. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s forwards were unable to add to their tally.

In the end, Liverpool won 2-0 against Brighton. This result lifted The Kop to 6th place on the table with 26 points, while Brighton remained 9th with 23 points.