MOHAMED SALAH WON and converted a decisive 50th-minute penalty as Liverpool returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Title rivals Manchester City trimmed the gap at the summit to four points when they beat the Reds’ 2-1 last week and a much-changed XI were then knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves.
But Jurgen Klopp’s men restored a seven-point advantage thanks to the excellent Salah, having bided their time in the face of an often-impeccable defensive display from Brighton.
City host Wolves on Monday, by which time Tottenham will have had the chance to conquer Manchester United and close to within six of Liverpool.
Fabinho was deployed as an emergency centre-back for the visitors and his raking pass allowed Andrew Robertson to deliver a teasing cross from the left, with Roberto Firmino unable to slide home.
Room for Liverpool’s attacking players to operate between a compact Brighton defence and midfield was sparing, but Sadio Mane engineered some in the 27th minute for Trent Alexander-Arnold to whip into the box and Xherdan Shaqiri to glance just wide.
Jordan Henderson found space for Liverpool’s next headed attempt as Lewis Dunk made the block.
Salah escaped the shackles to force a save from David Button early in the second half and a jinking dribble from the Egypt star moments later drew a clumsy foul from Pascal Gross. Button guessed correctly but was beaten for power.
Fabinho’s first significant piece of defensive work came before the hour when he blocked from Gross, while Alisson took no chances in pushing Jurgen Locadia’s speculative attempt around the post.
Georginio Wijnaldum lashed just wide 10 minutes from time and Salah uncharacteristically missed from close range when set up by substitute James Milner, but his earlier intervention proved to be enough.
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Fitzgerald’s kicking when he came on for Horwitz in his last game was top drawer. Interesting to see how he goes from the start in such a big game. A result for Connacht would be massive.
Was Blade released from the Irish squad, or did he just not return after last week? I thought he was in the extended squad announced on Tuesday?
@Darragh Murray: He was in the extended squad but got released.. so looks like Murray and Cooney for Italy game.. let’s home Cooney starts
@Tom Kenny: didn’t see that announced anywhere, thanks Tom!
Ok maybe I’m missing something here , but I don’t see a back up out half anywhere unless you count TOH or MH having to slot in !! Also where’s Horwitz and Copeland !!! Both seem to have gone MIA !!
@©️⚙️NNA©️HT6️⃣6️⃣: Godwin at centre is also a fly half at times.
Horwitz has been quite unimpressive at 10 this year.
@David Hickey: I think he’s been solid most of the time but he had an absolute mare in his last game. I wouldn’t write him off just yet, but I can see why he’s not in the team atm.
@ScewMadd: For me he has been a 6 out of 10 player. Unimpressive. By no means bad. (Although a fortnight ago was a travesty).
@©️⚙️NNA©️HT6️⃣6️⃣: Copeland has fairly significant hip surgery before Christmas!! Probably be another few weeks before we see him again!!
He hasn’t settled in I think , the weather is a big factor for a 10 and well Sportsground weather is a real Ripley’s believe it or not, time to give up on SH tens and get them from nearer home in future me thinks
@©️⚙️NNA©️HT6️⃣6️⃣: he was always an odd choice, in as much as he wasn’t an out and out 10, or at least he had filled in at twelve a good bit in his career, kind of the opposite of Godwin. He left Tahs to get game time at Rebels and then promptly couldn’t get in their match day squad – announcing half way into the season he was off to Connacht might not have helped. To be fair Western Force being disbanded meant there suddenly was a lot more availability and competition for slots in the remaining Aussie team’s squads. I thought it was strange the clamour on here that he would unseat Carty considering no one had seen him kick. As it turned out in a positive sense it hasn’t been so much a case of Horwitz failing as Carty succeeding. With Jack’s form we may need Horwitz next autumn anyway!
Ronaldson will be back in the picture another questionable 10, FITZGERALD looks the part,