PLAYER RATINGS: Mac Allister is magic! Argentine pulls his former club apart as Mo Salah finds his shooting boots in the nick of tim

The midfielder was excellent at Anfield, and it was his assist that allowed the Reds’ Egyptian King to score the game’s winning goal.

Liverpool, who are chasing the Premier League crown, knows they cannot afford any mistakes. Despite falling behind early in their match against Brighton, the Reds rallied to win 2-1 on Sunday.

Danny Welbeck gave the visitors the lead with a close-range effort from outside the box after just 84 seconds, but Luis Diaz’s close-range volley gave Liverpool a much-needed boost back into the contest.

In the first half, Mohamed Salah had several excellent opportunities to put Liverpool ahead, but he was unable to find his shooting form until the middle of the second half. He received a beautiful feed from the outstanding Alexis Mac Allister and curled a low effort into the bottom corner.

Jurgen Klopp’s team managed to stave off Brighton’s equalizer and reclaim the top spot in the Premier League standings, at least for a short while.

The Anfield players of Liverpool are rated by GOAL…

Joe Gomez Liverpool 2023-24

Goalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):

Could do nothing about Welbeck’s stunning strike, and had little to do thereafter until he palmed away Dunk’s looping header late on. Comfortable with his distribution.

Conor Bradley (6/10):

Showed bundles of energy and helped create attacking overloads down the right-hand side. Did find himself out of position at times, but made a couple of key defensive interventions.

Jarell Quansah (6/10):

Brighton clearly looked to target the young centre-back, and Adingra’s pace caused him plenty of problems. However, he improved as the game wore on and showed good composure.

Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

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Took it upon himself to literally lead from the front and could regularly be found pressing high in Brighton’s half. Characteristically solid throughout.

Joe Gomez (6/10):

Had a couple of hairy moments in possession but generally recovered well when he needed to.

Dominik Szoboszlai Liverpool 2023-24

Midfield

Darwin Nunez Liverpool 2023-24

Attack

Mohamed Salah (6/10):

Looked like he had left his shooting boots at home before he finally fired past Verbruggen midway through the second half. Not his best performance, but still the match-winner.

Darwin Nunez (6/10):

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Struggled to link up with team-mates in the first half, but ran the channels well after the break and sparked a couple of dangerous counter-attacks.

Luis Diaz (7/10):

Fine volleyed finish got the Reds back into the game, and put Veltman under all sorts of pressure with his direct dribbling. Unlucky to have a second goal ruled out for a tight offside.

Jurgen Klopp Liverpool 2023-24

Subs & Manager

Harvey Elliott (N/A):

Added energy in his 10-minute cameo.

Cody Gakpo (N/A):

On for Diaz in the 89th minute.

Ryan Gravenberch (N/A):

Came on in stoppage-time

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

Given the struggles he has had with Brighton in the past, winning is all that will matter to the Liverpool boss. Wasn’t any kind of great tactical masterclass, though how some of his young players grew into the game is testament to how he has coached them.

Alexis Mac Allister (9/10):

Outstanding. Created so many chances with smart through-balls and dictated the tempo of Liverpool’s attacks. Booked early but that didn’t stop him from doing his defensive work, too.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Another impressive showing from the Japan international as he swept up in front of the defence and looked to get the hosts moving forward.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):

Was quiet in the first half but improved immeasurably after the break. Played his part in Salah’s goal and pressed well in an energetic showing.