Salah spot on as Reds edge past the Seagulls
BRIGHTON 0 LIVERPOOL 1 Salah 50 (pen)
Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool’s “most mature performance of the season” after they got their title challenge back on track by grinding out an unconvincing win at Brighton.
Klopp’s table-topping Reds have stuttered since the turn of the year, losing their unbeaten Premier League record to champions Manchester City, before limping out of the FA Cup at Wolves.
The Merseyside club were far from their best at the Amex Stadium, but Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty was enough to restore their seven-point lead over second-placed City.
Klopp admitted his side can perform better, but dismissed the lack of entertainment against stubborn opposition by saying they “are not the Harlem Globetrotters”.
“It was not the best performance of the season in a few departments, but from a maturity point of view, I would say it is the most mature performance in the season,” he said.
“We are not Circus Roncalli, we are not the Harlem Globetrotters. We have to deliver results.
“On a good day, everybody can win football games, on an average day not a lot of teams can win football games, and on bad days only a few can win football games.
“Today was not a bad day, but it was a difficult day for us.
“It was just a difficult day because we have to say that Brighton is doing really well.”
Egypt forward Salah, who retained his African Player of the
Year title earlier this week, smashed home his 14th league goal of the season from the spot in the 49th-minute after he was felled by Pascal Gross.
The strike was enough to put more daylight between the division’s top two teams, although Pep Guardiola’s City can close the gap back to four points when they face Wolves on Monday.
Liverpool’s best chance of the first half came when Xherdan Shaqiri’s header brushed the base of a post, while Roberto Firmino would surely have scored had he connected with Andy Robertson’s low cross.
An unmarked Glenn Murray headed high over the bar in Brighton’s sole chance of the half.
Liverpool needed just four minutes to break the deadlock after the restart, but the opener came courtesy of clumsy home defending rather than stunning attacking play.
Salah outsmarted Pascal Gross
on the turn in the box, drew a cheap foul from the usually-unflappable German and then buried the cast-iron penalty.
Itching to make amends for conceding the penalty, Gross popped up in the other box to put in a neat strike – only for Fabinho to pull off a fine block.
Jurgen Locadia’s long-range drive drew a solid save from Alisson as Brighton continued to press without reward.
Home boss Chris Hughton had no complaints about the award of the decisive spot-kick, but felt Liverpool received some favourable decisions from referee Kevin Friend in front of a record crowd of 30,682.
“One thing I always understand is that the referee has a very difficult job and he has to make judgement calls on the whole of the 90 minutes,” said Hughton.
“Sometimes you feel things go against you, and I feel like it’s one of the those days today.”