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National media make £248m Liverpool point after Brighton victory ahead of 'pivotal week'

A look at how the national media reacted to Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola of Liverpool during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on October 25, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola celebrate after they combined again for Liverpool's second goal in their win over Brighton at Anfield (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool moved up to fourth in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. A Florian Wirtz-inspired own goal from Pascal Gross gave the Reds the lead before Alexander Isak doubled the advantage before the break.

Andoni Iraola's men then held firm in the second half to secure their fourth successive victory.

The ECHO was at Anfield to run the rule over proceedings as usual. You can catch our big-match verdict, our player ratings, post-match analysis and on-the-whistle reaction all here. You can also see how Iraola and Fabian Hurzeler reacted after the match too.

Our colleagues from the national media were also on hand to give their own considered takes. Here's what they made of it all after another impressive victory for Iraola's emerging side.

Paul Joyce, of The Times, writes: "Liverpool’s afternoon would end in much the same fashion as it began. Chiefly, with the sight of Ronald Araujo bursting through challenges and winning tackles to important effect amid throaty acclaim from the home gallery.

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"It is fair to say that Brighton & Hove Albion, up until now the great, free-scoring entertainers, returned to terra firma with a bump in more ways than one.

"For all that football has become fixated with formations and newfangled ideas, some things will never change. 'Win your battles' has been a managerial mantra since time immemorial and, when it mattered most, Liverpool emerged triumphant from their personal duels to maintain momentum in what could be a pivotal week for their new head coach Andoni Iraola."

On the Daily Mail's pages, Lewis Steele reflects: "Purple wheelie bins had taken a tumble, a racing meet at nearby Aintree was abandoned and train timetables in and out of Lime Street were even more ruined than normal as Storm Boelo battered Merseyside.

"Over at Anfield, high-flying Brighton were blown away by Storm Liverpool. Two goals in four first-half minutes put the game beyond reach for Fabian Hurzeler’s admirable and exciting outfit as the Reds made it four wins in a row for Andoni Iraola, whose side are showing signs of cracking his complex style after a first month of fluctuating displays.

"Alexander Isak will take the plaudits for Liverpool’s second goal, made by Bradley Barcola as the £248million double act combined again after doing so at Brentford last week, but fellow big-money boy Florian Wirtz deserved vast praise, too.

"The next week or so will offer further important data for just how far this team has come since the insipid days of Slot’s second season. Chelsea are at Anfield on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup, then Arsenal are in town before trips to Fenerbahce and Crystal Palace."

On The Telegraph, Dominic King muses: "A quick sprint, a well-placed pass and an instinctive finish; Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak have probably been doing it repeatedly in training but here, on a squally Sunday afternoon, they combined for a niche moment in Liverpool’s history.

"Anfield has never seen a more expensively created goal but, at a combined cost of £248m, Barcola and Isak had a little landmark. What was more important, however, were the three points it led to and now Andoni Iraola’s reign is starting to take shape.

"This was an important afternoon for Liverpool’s head coach, a difficult assignment against a high-flying, well-respected team in Brighton, who arrived on Merseyside having won their last four Premier League fixtures with a combined aggregate of 15-0.

"But Liverpool, inspired by their expensive recruits, rose to the challenge and there are grounds for saying this was the most significant success to date for Iraola, whose team defended relentlessly to preserve a clean sheet. They are up to fourth now after this 2-0 success and deserve their position."

Liverpool's Spanish head coach Andoni Iraola applauds fans on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 25, 2026. Liverpool won the game 2-0. (Photo by Paul Currie / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

A delighted Andoni Iraola applauds the Liverpool supporters after the 2-0 home win over Brighton at Anfield (Image: Paul Currie / AFP via Getty Images)

And in the ECHO's verdict: "Anyone searching for a statement Liverpool result in the opening months of Andoni Iraola's reign might just have found it here at Anfield.

"A 2-0 victory at home against Brighton & Hove Albion might not instinctively sound like the most obvious piece of evidence that something is beginning to stir but consider the following...

"Brighton had scored a league-high 23 goals prior to kick off here and had shipped just five all season, marking them out as the most miserly alongside champions Arsenal.

"Fabian Hurzeler's side had even clinically carved up the Gunners last month with a hugely impressive 3-0 win that signposted their own potential for the campaign ahead.

"It’s set up what is now a massive game when Arsenal pitch up on Merseyside next Sunday.

"Whisper it quietly, but with Manchester City's guilty verdict still lingering like a toxic stench, a positive result against Mikel Arteta’s champions could even catapult Liverpool into the title talk. Now that really would be a statement result."

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