One Liverpool star made himself a cult hero for life with one piece of audacious defending in the 2-0 home victory over Brighton and Hove Albion

Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo brought the Kop to its feet when he put his head on the line to preserve the Reds' lead over Brighton and Hove Albion. The Uruguayan arrived as a loan signing from Barcelona this summer.

He has impressed with his performances at right-back, a position which was a regular issue during last season's Premier League title defence. Not only has he seemingly made the position his own, the Uruguayan also carved himself a place in Liverpool's hearts.

On two separate occasions, he put his head on the line to prevent a goal. His bravery was on full display shortly after Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz's deflected strike - which went down as a Pascal Gross own goal - gave Andoni Iraola's side a 2-0 lead.

Make sure you never miss the latest Liverpool FC news and opinion by making Liverpool Echo one of your Google preferred sources

Soon after the Reds doubled their lead, Brighton were in a dangerous position on the right-hand side of Liverpool's penalty area and threatened a chance. A shooting opportunity appeared but, while on the floor, Araujo rolled over, steered his head towards the ball and a Brighton boot and blocked the shot with his skull.

It was the kind of moment which would've put the defender in hospital, had the Brighton player committed with his shot and caught him instead.

One brave, if not mad, moment was not enough for the South American. In the 82nd minute, Brighton substitute Malick Yalcouye drove down the wing in a bid to get the team up the pitch.

After a heavy touch, Araujo turned the burners on and sprinted forwards. As he committed, Yalcouye saw him coming and jumped into the air, catching Araujo flush in the face with his leg.

Araujo brushed himself down and got back up, almost as if he had not just taken a flying kick to the face. Both actions elicited a huge cheer from the Kop, who have certainly taken Araujo to their hearts.

They were not the only ones who noticed Araujo's bravery, as manager Iraola ensured he spared a moment to praise the defender. The Liverpool boss said: "It helps a lot. I think we all enjoyed watching Ronald fighting.

"He’s very good in the duels. Even the first goal I think he wins two duels in a row, he arrives to the byline, and it’s not an assist but it’s worth an assist. Defensively I think he’s been really, really good.

"I’m happy for him, because I’ve taken him out at half-time in the last two games because we needed more offensive things, and he has continued working with no issues. Today we needed him more. He has given a very, very good 90 minutes.”

It was a vital clean sheet for the Reds, particularly as it came against the top scorers in the division. The result also lifted Liverpool into the top four, where they are now only six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Countdown to Kickoff: The Essential 26/27 Sky Sports Bundle

Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.

This introductory offer saves £384 compared to the standard price, with every package also providing 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ subscriptions.