Liverpool FC is through to the FA Cup round of 16. In a clash between two Premier League teams, the Reds made short work of struggling Brighton & Hove Albion. Salah was the match winner with a goal, an assist, and a penalty.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot made changes to the starting lineup from the 1-0 win at AFC Sunderland, bringing in Jones, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, and Chiesa in place of Endo, Robertson, Gravenberch, and Ekitiké. Against the visitors from Brighton, whose coach Fabian Hürzeler had recently been mocked by his own fans after five games without a win, the game developed into a fast-paced affair from the start.
Jones had the first good chance after a pass from Salah, but his deflected shot narrowly missed the goal (29′). A few moments later, the ball hit the back of the net for the first time, but goal scorer Gakpo was offside when Szoboszlai took the free kick (36′). Kerkez followed up with another good chance (37′) before the deserved lead finally came.
Kerkez found Jones with a half-height cross, who scored with a delicate half-volley from close range, hitting the underside of the crossbar (42′). Shortly afterwards, the visitors almost equalized out of nowhere after Jones slipped unluckily in front of his own box. However, Gomez failed to beat Alisson when one-on-one (45+1).
Szoboszlai powerful, Groß brings down Salah
After the break, Brighton had a brief upswing because Alisson first faltered (49th minute), but was wide awake shortly afterwards (54th minute). Apart from that, however, the second half belonged entirely to the Reds, who made it 2-0 through Szoboszlai (56′). Salah cleverly let a pass from Gakpo bounce into the path of the Hungarian.
Just under ten minutes later, Salah was back in the spotlight with a fine solo effort. First, he beat Kadioglu before being brought down by Groß in the box. The Egyptian made no mistake from the spot (68′). The only reason Brighton didn’t concede more was because Ngumoha’s goal was ruled out for offside – which, if it had been given, would have been a case for VAR (81′).
In the end, it remained a deserved and ultimately commanding victory for the Reds, who are now through to the round of 16. Liverpool’s next Premier League match is away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday (3 p.m.), while Brighton face Brentford the day before (4 p.m.).
