Oh, how sweet victory is. Liverpool turned it around against Brighton & Hove Albion to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League, with Manchester City defeated against Bournemouth on the South Coast at the same time.
An abysmal first half was forgotten about beyond the hour mark, with Liverpool rallying through Cody Gakpo‘s somewhat fortuitous opener, cancelling out Ferdi Kadioglu’s fine strike from the opening phase.
Who else but Mohamed Salah? The Reds had tasted blood and, moments after restoring parity, broke the Brighton barrier to send Arne Slot to the top of the division.
Mohamed Salah’s done it again
It was a sumptuous strike. Trademark Mo’. The contractual uncertainties engulfing Anfield at the moment have failed to knock Slot’s newly-crafted Liverpool system off-kilter, with Salah performing at a frankly incredible level this season.
https://x.com/LFC/status/1852760164736090463?s=19
The 32-year-old has now scored nine goals and provided seven assists across 15 matches in all competitions this season, proving once again that he is one of the best players in the world and that his absence from the Ballon d’Or top 30 was nothing short of farcical.
He was invariably dangerous from the right, admittedly sluggish early on but growing with his squad after the break, missing a glorious opportunity to make it 1-1 before indeed making amends with his special, special strike.
Mohamed Salah’s Performance vs Brighton |
Match Stats |
# |
Minutes played |
89′ |
Goals |
1 |
Touches |
37 |
Shots (on target) |
3 (2) |
Accurate passes |
13/20 (65%) |
Key passes |
2 |
Dribbles (completed) |
3 (1) |
Total duels (won) |
9 (5) |
Stats via Sofascore |
He came up with the goods yet again, and if Liverpool do find themselves in title contention at the business end of the campaign, Slot and the supporters will owe much to the Egyptian and will need to call upon his potency to get over the line ahead of the likes of City and Arsenal.
Liverpool won’t always be able to turn things around, however – faltering from this quality was the crux of the demise under Jurgen Klopp last term.
The likes of Alexis Mac Allister need to step up their game, and in the Argentine’s case, must be dropped for the next match.
Alexis Mac Allister must now be dropped
Against the Seagulls, he flattered to deceive. Mac Allister was hooked after 66 minutes, having failed to take control of the midfield battle. He lost six duels and ceded possession 15 times, as per Sofascore, finishing with only a 74% pass success rate despite failing to create a single key pass.
https://x.com/Corballyred/status/1852740643270840664?t=yRGXBAChBzGAinDEyOpGNg&s=19
The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle handed the South American a 5/10 match rating, though did note that an early knock might have hampered his performance.
The reporter said: ‘Clobbered early on and appeared hampered for much of first half in which he could barely do anything right. Improved a bit second half and forced Verbruggen into save. Booked and subbed.’
Alexis Mac Allister’s PL Stats for Liverpool |
Match Stats* |
23/24 |
24/25 |
Minutes played |
33 (31) |
10 (9) |
Goals |
5 |
0 |
Assists |
5 |
0 |
Touches* |
74.2 |
50.9 |
Accurate passes |
88% |
86% |
Key passes* |
1.4 |
0.9 |
Dribbles* |
0.5 |
0.2 |
Ball recoveries* |
5.9 |
4.4 |
Tackles + interceptions* |
4.1 |
2.8 |
Duels won* |
5.9 (50%) |
4.5 (44%) |
Stats via Sofascore (* = per game) |
He’s regressed across every department, from a statistical standpoint at least, and though Mac Allister brings a mix of control, combativeness and culture to Liverpool’s midfield that’s not so easily defined through metrics, it’s rather patent that he’s struggling to reach the same heights at the moment.
Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation this season but he’s simply not a defensive midfielder in the typical sense of the word. Instead, the press-resistant, fluid-passing Dutchman operates in a dynamic deep-sat role.
As such, Mac Allister will need to be more consistent in his defensive work while channelling play forward with greater regularity too. The 25-year-old looked exhausted against his former club and questions need to be raised about the amount of football he’s been playing for club and country over the past few years.
Luckily, Liverpool have the likes of Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo who can step in when needed. Both stars made a positive impression off the bench today, and both operate in wildly different midfield parameters.
Mac Allister needs to be dropped, allowed to recuperate. He’s not quite fallen by the wayside, but he’s certainly hanging on after a tiring start to his season.