Mohamed Salah shone on his return to Liverpool action, coming off the bench to register an assist as the Reds eased to a 2–0 win over Brighton at Anfield, with Hugo Ekitike scoring both goals.
Salah was recalled to the squad after being left out of Liverpool’s midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, following an explosive post-match outburst at Leeds United last weekend that cast doubt over his Anfield future.
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Named among the substitutes by head coach Arne Slot, the Egyptian striker was introduced in the 26th minute after Joe Gomez was forced off injured, with Dominik Szoboszlai moving to right-back.
Gomez had earlier played a key role in Liverpool’s opener, his header finding Ekitike, who controlled the ball and volleyed past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after just 46 seconds, the quickest Premier League goal of the season so far.
Brighton had opportunities to draw level but failed to capitalise. Alisson Becker denied Diego Gomez with an outstretched leg when the midfielder was clean through, and the same player later missed an open goal after the break.
Liverpool made Brighton pay for their wastefulness on the hour mark when Salah’s corner picked out an unmarked Ekitike at the back post, allowing the Frenchman to head home his second of the match.
The goal was Ekitike’s 10th of the season and his second consecutive league double, following his brace in the 3–3 draw at Leeds.
Salah’s assist took him to 277 goal involvements in 302 Premier League appearances for Liverpool: 188 goals and 89 assists, the most by any player for a single club in the competition’s history, overtaking Wayne Rooney’s 276 for Manchester United.
