Liverpool cruised past hapless Brighton at half speed

Liverpool looked as if they were having a slightly tougher training session in their FA Cup clash with Brighton – partly due to the Seagulls’ poor form, and partly because of Liverpool’s good recent form. Jones opened the scoring in the first half, while the remaining two goals came from Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool and Brighton played out an eventful first half, with chances at both ends keeping fans on edge. The opening opportunity came in the 10th minute for the visitors when Kadioglu collected the ball on the left and fired from around 20 metres, but Alisson was alert and comfortably held the effort.

Liverpool responded in the 29th minute, with Curtis Jones testing Brighton’s goal from a similar distance. His shot narrowly missed, just brushing past the post, leaving the Reds agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock.

Six minutes later, Liverpool thought they had taken the lead from a dangerous free-kick by Szoboszlai, delivered with his usual precision. Gakpo met it at close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside, offering Brighton a reprieve.

The visitors nearly capitalized on their momentum immediately after. In the 37th minute, Salah managed to beat Kadioglu but could only poke the ball straight at Steele from a tight angle. Then, in the 38th minute, Brighton’s Kerkez struck a fierce effort toward the top corner, only for Steele’s fingertips to turn it around brilliantly.

Liverpool eventually found a breakthrough in the 42nd minute. Kerkez, who had been bright in attack, delivered a perfect cross to Jones in the middle, and the midfielder made no mistake, slotting the ball home. Questions lingered over young Howell, who had failed to close down the cross, continuing a pattern of Brighton’s struggles over the previous ten minutes.

Before the half-time whistle, Liverpool nearly doubled their lead. In stoppage time, Jones slipped, allowing Gomez a clear path on goal, but under pressure from a covering defender, his rushed toe-poke was well saved by Alisson.

Liverpool continued to control proceedings after the break, but Brighton almost pulled one back in the 54th minute. From a teasing free-kick delivery, Lewis Dunk met the ball at the back post with a difficult header that seemed destined for the corner, but Alisson produced a crucial fingertip save to deny the visitors.

Just two minutes later, Liverpool doubled their lead in style. Kerkez switched play brilliantly to Mohamed Salah, who cushioned the ball into the path of the onrushing Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian midfielder struck a powerful finish past Steele for his 10th goal of the season, underlining his status as Liverpool’s man of the moment.

The Reds made it 3–0 in the 67th minute from the penalty spot. Salah tormented Kadioglu down the right before bursting into the box, where he was brought down by Pascal Gross. The referee pointed to the spot, and Salah stepped up himself to convert calmly, extending Liverpool’s commanding advantage.

Liverpool thought they had added a fourth in the 81st minute through young Ngumoha, who produced a brilliant finish after being played in by Gakpo, but the flag went up for offside. It was a tight call and one that would likely have required a lengthy VAR check had the system been in operation.

FA CUP - ROUND 4

Friday

Hull - Chelsea 0-4 (0-1)

/Neto 40,51,71, Estevao 59/

Wrexham - Ipswich 1-0 (1-0)

/Windass 34/

Saturday

Burton - West Ham 0-1 (AET )

/Summerville 95/

Burnley - Mansfield 1-2 (1-0)

/Laurent 21 - Oates 53, Reed 80/

Man. City - Salford City 2-0 (1-0)

/Dorrington 6 og, Guehi 81/

Norwich - WBA 3-1 (1-0)

/Maghoma 31, Chrisene 82, Toure 90+3 - Maja 68/

Port Vale - Bristol City POSTPONED

Southampton - Leicester 2-1 (AET)

/Larin 45+1 pen, Bree 109 - Skipp 52/

Aston Villa - Newcastle 1-3 (1-0)

/Abraham 14 - Tonali 63, 76, Woltemade 88

Liverpool - Brighton 3-0 (1-0)

/Jones 42, Szoboszlai 56, Salah 68 pen/

Sunday

15.00: (3.25) Birmingham (3.45) Leeds (2.20)

16.30: (6.75) Grimsby (4.40) Wolverhampton (1.47)

17.00: (5.00) Oxford (3.50) Sunderland (1.75)

17.00: (4.90) Stoke (3.60) Fulham (1.75)

19.30: (1.03) Arsenal (15.0) Wigan (50.0)

Monday

22.30: (12.0) Macclesfield (6.50) Brentford (1.22)

***odds are subject to change***