Liverpool made it three wins out of three after dispatching Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 at Anfield. The only goal of the match came from Mohamed Salah in the 23rd minute but the Reds were far from their fluent best at home.
The Reds were incredible in the opening game against West Ham United and were provided with a stern test of their title credentials against Crystal Palace but this should have been an easy three points.
Brighton, however, are a tough side to beat as Manchester United found out. We did have our chances with Trent Alexander-Arnold hitting the post from a free-kick but it was a Gegenpressing moment that got us the goal.
Yves Bissouma was slow on the ball and bam, James Milner took the ball from the Malian. The ball reached Sadio Mane and he set up Salah, who finished with a first-time shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Liverpool struggle to find their rhythm
The problem with our game at Anfield was too many misplaced passes. Even some of the players looked out of touch.
Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane had off nights. For all the talk about Mane being the player in form, almost every decision he made did not work.
He couldn’t hit the target, couldn’t pick the right passes and often made the wrong runs.
Salah had a number of chances to score but either Matt Ryan denied him or the Brighton defence did.
The Egyptian did have one important stat thanks to the goal, showing how he has grown during his time at Anfield.
29 – Mohamed Salah has scored 29 goals in 29 appearances for Liverpool at Anfield in all competitions. King. pic.twitter.com/FTrNTRchXZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 25, 2018
Fortress Anfield
Liverpool were unbeaten at home last season and have won both their games this time as well. We would need to continue this sort of form and OptaJoe had another incredible stat to share.
Liverpool did drop points at home last season with draws against lowly sides like Everton but that has to change this time around.
22 – Liverpool are unbeaten in each of their last 22 Premier League games at Anfield (W14 D8), keeping a clean sheet in the last six. Stronghold. pic.twitter.com/wkjjqyL2Sd
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 25, 2018
This match could have been another game where we drop points, had it not been for Alisson.
Repaying Liverpool already
Alisson was always going to be the centre of attention and the Brazilian has provided a couple of stellar moments since moving to Liverpool.
The first was an audacious flick over Anthony Knockaert as the forward tried to put pressure on the Brazilian.
Alisson is known for his distribution and passing range but this was something out of street football. The keeper did have a hairy moment or two while trying to play out of the back but he was brought in to keep clean sheets.
And that is exactly what the 25-year-old ensured late in the game.
Pascal Gross got in between Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez and headed a cross.
The ball was racing into the net but Alisson used both fists to push it away and preserve our lead. This wasn’t a tough save but the Brazilian’s concentration levels were strong as he came up good when we needed it.
Gomez, Van Dijk and Wijnaldum impressed
As we touched upon, Van Dijk and Gomez were brilliant at the back once again. The pair has dealt with the likes of Christian Benteke, Marko Arnautovic and Glenn Murray in the opening three games of the season and have looked comfortable.
All three attackers provide varying threats but our pairing looks great and should continue for as long as possible.
Another player made a big name for himself, Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutch midfielder started his third game of the season for us and this was probably his best performance.
1 – Georginio Wijnaldum misplaced just one of his 76 passes for Liverpool vs Brighton, this coming in the 80th minute of the match. Controlled.
(green: successful pass, yellow: key pass, red: unsuccessful pass) pic.twitter.com/mnuX7hezB2
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 25, 2018
Wijnaldum misplaced just one out of his 76 passes at Anfield and has easily been the most consistent midfielder this season.
Even though we have Naby Keita, James Milner and Jordan Henderson fit and ready, the one player that seems undroppable at the moment is Wijnaldum.
This was a great test for our side as it seemed like a game we would have drawn or lost a couple of years ago but Klopp has made us resilient.
Our attack needs one moment to make teams pay and that was on display at Anfield. The season is long and we haven’t hit our stride yet but think of what we could end up doing once we play to our potential!
