Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield, going ahead through a Pascal Gross own goal in the 17th minute and doubling the lead four minutes later through Alexander Isak. The win gave Andoni Iraola his first Premier League victory at home as Liverpool manager and lifted the club to fourth.
Liverpool, England: Anfield had been waiting for a league win under Andoni Iraola, and on Sunday it arrived in the space of four first-half minutes. Brighton arrived with the better of the early play. Liverpool left with the points.
Four minutes that decided the match
Brighton had the first clear sight of goal. Yasin Ayari shot over from a good position in the 14th minute, and the visitors had already lost Ferdi Kadioglu to a hip injury in the opening minutes.
Liverpool took the lead against the run of play. In the 17th minute Florian Wirtz’s shot struck Gross and looped into the net, an own goal that handed Liverpool the lead. Four minutes later Liverpool struck again. Bradley Barcola won the ball high up the pitch, drove forward and cut it back for Isak, who finished for his sixth Premier League goal of the season. It was the kind of move Iraola says he wants: wingers such as Barcola winning one-on-one duels and finding Isak in good positions.
Brighton push, Liverpool hold
Brighton did not fold. Ayari hit the post with a curling effort from outside the box in the 36th minute, the closest the visitors came to a way back. Ronald Araujo’s shot from inside the area was saved just before the break, a reminder that Liverpool could have been further ahead.
The second half belonged to the home side’s discipline. Iraola said afterwards that Liverpool had been more compact after the interval and gave their opponents less space, and he praised Araujo, who returned to the side after missing the previous two games, for his duels. Wirtz was replaced by Trey Nyoni in the 64th minute with an ankle knock; he said it did not appear serious. Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler pointed to two easy mistakes that gave Liverpool the goals.
What it means for the table
The win lifted Liverpool to fourth, above Chelsea and one point behind Brighton. It was their fourth victory in a row in all competitions and, in the league, Iraola’s first at home since taking charge. Isak has now scored in three consecutive league games, and he also scored the winner in a 2-1 victory at Brentford earlier this season. Earlier in the campaign Liverpool had lost 3-0 at Anfield, when Gravenberch was sent off against Manchester City.
For Brighton, it was only a second league defeat of the season and their first since August, and they remain third in the table. Liverpool’s next test is a home tie with Chelsea in the League Cup on Wednesday.
Result summary: Premier League, Anfield, Sunday 25 October 2026.
Liverpool 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion. Goals: Gross (own goal) 17′, Isak 21′.
