Isak's sixth goal of season helps Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0
Alexander Isak scored his sixth Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0, their fourth straight win under Andoni Iraola, though Florian Wirtz picked up an ankle injury.
Alexander Isak's goal in Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton on Sunday took his tally to six for the season, a return that suggests the striker is beginning to justify the British record £125m fee that brought him from Newcastle in August 2025. His first campaign at Anfield was disrupted by a slow start and a broken leg in December, limiting him to four goals in 22 games. The club treated the signing as a long-term investment and reserved judgement until he was fully fit.
Against a Brighton side that had scored 15 league goals in their previous four matches, Isak's strike gave Liverpool breathing space. Brighton held 64% possession and finished with a higher expected goals figure, but clear chances were scarce beyond an early Yasin Ayari effort that went over. Liverpool's backline, with Ronald Araujo again prominent, recorded a fourth clean sheet in eight league games. Liverpool's 35.6% possession was their second lowest in a Premier League home win since 2003-04.
The result was Andoni Iraola's first league win at Anfield at the fourth attempt and a fourth consecutive victory since a defeat to Manchester City a fortnight earlier. Iraola described the all-round performance as really good against a really good team, and said Isak is threatening when Liverpool can find him in the right positions and supply good crosses. Isak said the first half showed what the team wants to be about: winning balls and intensity.
Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola were both excellent, and Cody Gakpo threatened throughout. Wirtz's strike took a deflection off Pascal Gross to open the scoring, though the goal was not credited to him. Wirtz was substituted in the second half, and Iraola said the German had suffered a small twist of the ankle that did not look serious but would need assessing given the congested schedule. Barcola won possession in the build-up to Isak's goal, and the pair repeated their shared celebration from the previous weekend at Brentford.
Isak has scored more than half of Liverpool's Premier League goals this season, with only Erling Haaland, on nine, ahead of him. The win lifted Liverpool to fourth. Arsenal are next in the league, and Iraola's side will hope Wirtz is available.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
