LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Striker Mohamed Salah scored the winner as Liverpool came back from a goal down to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 and go top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s showdown with Arsenal later on Sunday.
Salah’s sublime second-half strike leaves Liverpool on 67 points, three ahead of second-placed Arsenal and four ahead of City on a pivotal day in the title race.
The Egyptian striker tormented Brighton, taking 12 shots to notch up his highest total in a Premier League game and, even though only one of them found the back of the net, it was to prove vital.
Danny Welbeck gave Brighton the lead after 84 seconds when his side broke up a Liverpool attack and burst forward to find him just inside the box and he drilled an unstoppable shot past Caoimhin Kelleher to break the deadlock.
The early goal jolted Liverpool into life and Luis Diaz put them level in the 27th minute after Joel Veltman’s attempted clearance went awry, allowing the Colombian winger to steal in behind the defence and hook the ball home.
Liverpool’s suffocating pressure and incisive attacking paid dividends again when Alexis Mac Allister teed up Salah to fire them into the lead.
Diaz thought he had put the Reds 3-1 up six minutes later but his goal was ruled out for a razor-thin offside that was confirmed by the VAR and Salah went close on the break in the 74th minute, but fired his effort straight at the keeper.
Brighton substitute and former Liverpool player Adam Lallana dragged a shot wide in the 86th minute, and Salah forced a brilliant diving one-handed save from Bart Verbruggen in the final minute of normal time as Liverpool held on to win, much to the delight of Mac Allister, another former Seagull.
“We didn’t start as we wanted but it was an amazing game. We played against an unbelievable team. I know them very well, I know what they can do and it was a tough match, but in the end we won it and we are very happy,” he told Sky Sports.
“I would rather not concede so early but the mentality of the boys is amazing and that is what you need when you are 1-0 down, and today we showed it again. But next time we have to start the game winning, not losing,” he added.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
