Andoni Iraola notched his first Premier League win at Anfield as Liverpool boss, with his team overcoming the red-hot Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds were forced to recover from a disastrous start in the Champions League on Tuesday, fighting back from 2–0 down against Villarreal to win 4–3. There was no need for such a drastic recovery on this occasion, as Liverpool raced into a 2–0 first-half lead.

While there was an element of fortune with the opening goal, with Bart Verbruggen flummoxed by a Pascal Groß deflection from Florian Wirtz’s errant shot, Bradley Barcola’s hustle, speed and precision facilitated Liverpool’s second, with Alexander Isak converting from a couple of yards away.

Yasin Ayari had spurned a glorious chance beforehand, and Brighton unsurprisingly remained a threat throughout the contest. However, this just wasn’t the Seagulls‘ day in the final third, and as Fabian Hürzeler pushed to get his side back into the game, they risked more concessions on the counterattack in the second half.

Liverpool, too, were wasteful with their attacking moments as the game wore on, ensuring tension permeated across Anfield up until the final whistle, but Iraola will nonetheless be encouraged by his side‘s showing without the ball, as the hosts kept a clean sheet in a victory that, despite the scoreline, didn’t exactly feel routine.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

This was the day when all Liverpool’s $100 million arrivals delivered.

Wirtz’s shot led to Groß’s own goal before Barcola expertly teed up Isak for the Reds’ second. The pair combined again, just as they did for the winner at Brentford last weekend.

Barcola has responded brilliantly to the criticism that came his way after failing to step up for Iraola’s undermanned side against Manchester City after the break. There was always a sense that the summer addition would take a little while to find his groove, having barely had a preseason due to rife transfer speculation. He’s certainly looked the part over the past couple of weeks, and there’s more to come.

Isak’s productive start to the campaign is going under the radar, and his first-time finish, while seemingly simple from close range, depicted a striker who’s brimming with confidence after a tough, injury-hit debut campaign. The Sweden international is now up to seven goals in all competitions this term in less than 800 minutes played.

The critics were all so keen to slander the former Newcastle United sharpshooter amid his woes, but are far less willing to give Isak his flowers for a productive start to year two. The same goes for Wirtz, who scored his first Liverpool goal since April in the week and was contributing again on Sunday.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)

GK: Alisson—7.3: As threatening as the visitors were all afternoon, they failed to make Liverpool’s goalkeeper work.

RB: Ronald Araújo—7.9: The Anfield faithful are falling in love with a loan player. They’ll most likely have their hearts broken, but they’re enjoying the ride while it lasts.

CB: Jérémy Jacquet—6.8: Short sleeves and gloves was... a choice. Still, the questionable attire didn’t stop the impressive young Frenchman from continuing his excellent start to the season.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.6: Van Dijk was a cool, calm and composed figure throughout, undeterred by Brighton’s intensity without the ball.

LB: Milos Kerkez—7.3: The Hungarian remains an issue for Iraola. Far too erratic.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.3: Brighton’s dominance of the ball limited Gravenberch in possession, and the midfielder was forced to perform a disciplined role positionally to protect his defense.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.4: Similar to Gravenberch, Mac Allister was keen to impress against his former employers and played an understated role in Liverpool’s win.

RW: Bradley Barcola—7.9: Barcola’s work to set up Isak’s finish was brilliant, but it was his diligence without the ball that was most impressive. Helped Araújo out all afternoon.

AM: Florian Wirtz—7.1: A positive outing for the German was brought to a halt by a knock sustained on the hour mark.

LW: Cody Gakpo—7.5: Looked sharp again without nailing the final action.

ST: Alexander Isak—7.9: A clumsy start was made up for by scoring Liverpool’s second goal. Wasn’t overly influential, but he’s finding himself in the right place at the right time at the start of his second season with the club.

SUB: Trey Nyoni (65’ for Wirtz)—6.5: Made a key defensive contribution right after coming on and took a nasty whack for his troubles.

SUB: Lewis Koumas (77’ for Isak)—6.0: Provided plenty of energy off the bench.

SUB: Rio Ngumoha (77’ for Barcola)—6.4: Only had a couple of opportunities to build on a standout midweek display.

SUB: Kostas Tsimikas (87’ for Kerkez)—N/A

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Freddie Woodman (GK), Joe Gomez, Wataru Endō, James McConnell, Federico Chiesa.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Liverpool had seemingly left a gaping void down their right flank after losing Mohamed Salah in the summer. No ‘natural’ right-sided winger was acquired to mitigate his exit, yet Iraola has stumbled upon a fair few solutions. Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and now Barcola have proven their adeptness in the role, with the Frenchman’s speed coming to the fore against the Seagulls. Barcola’s unlikely to score a whole lot from the right, but expect plenty of sequences similar to Isak’s goal if Iraola sticks with the summer arrival on that wing.
• After a shoddy midweek showing, Virgil van Dijk regained stability against a tough, in-form opponent—the Premier League’s highest scorers no less. The Dutchman is certainly no longer infallible, but the serenity with which he performed on Sunday was a reminder that Father Time hasn’t called just yet.

The Numbers That Explain Iraola’s First Premier League Anfield Win

• The Reds, especially after taking a 2–0 lead, were happy to contain and play on the counterattack. They had just 36% of the ball and were beaten on xG by the visitors, who recorded just a single shot on target.
• While both teams threatened in transition throughout, the pair combined for just two big chances in the match, each creating one.
• Liverpool were particularly poor with their usage of the ball, recording a season-low 69% passing accuracy.