Salah Returns With Assist as Ekitike Double Lifts Liverpool Past Brighton

LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah marked his return to the Liverpool lineup with an assist as the Reds beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield, powered by a brace from Hugo Ekitike that extended Arne Slot’s side’s unbeaten run to five Premier League matches.

The victory, Liverpool’s first home league win since November 4, moved them up to sixth place in the table and capped an eventful week dominated by speculation surrounding Salah’s future.

All attention was on the Egyptian forward, who returned to the squad after being left out of Liverpool’s midweek Champions League trip to Inter Milan following a controversial outburst last weekend. Named on the bench by Slot, Salah was introduced early, coming on in the 26th minute after defender Joe Gomez was forced off injured. Dominik Szoboszlai shifted into an unfamiliar right-back role to accommodate the change.

Liverpool had already taken the lead in spectacular fashion. After just 46 seconds, the fastest Premier League goal of the season, Joe Gomez’s header, found Ekitike, who controlled the ball with one touch before volleying past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Brighton had opportunities to equalize but were left to rue missed chances. Alisson produced a crucial outstretched-leg save to deny Diego Gomez when he was clean through, before the same player missed an open goal shortly after the interval.

The visitors were punished for their profligacy on the hour mark when Salah delivered a pinpoint corner to the back post, where an unmarked Ekitike headed home his second goal of the night. The strike was the French forward’s 10th of the season and his second consecutive league double, following his goals in the recent 3-3 draw at Leeds.

Salah’s assist took his Premier League tally to 277 goal involvements in 302 appearances for Liverpool, a new competition record for a player at a single club, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s 276 for Manchester United.

The forward came close to adding a goal of his own late on but blazed wide in injury time after being set up by Federico Chiesa. At full-time, Salah waved to the Anfield crowd as he prepared to join his national team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

With his long-term future at the club still uncertain, questions remain over whether this appearance could be one of his last in a Liverpool shirt. However, after a turbulent week, Slot’s side have steadied themselves with back-to-back wins and clean sheets, while Brighton slip to ninth in the standings.