Liverpool moved into the FA Cup fifth round yesterday with a 3-0 win over Brighton at Anfield, a scoreline that looked emphatic but was earned through patience, big-game moments, and a second-half surge that Brighton simply couldn’t live with. For long spells, especially before the break, this was a contest where Brighton’s pressing and willingness to play kept it uncomfortable, and where one key save or one cleaner finish could have made the night feel very different.
Instead, Liverpool grew into the tie, struck just before half-time, and then turned control into punishment after the interval with a blend of slick combination play and decisive finishing.
The opening half hour had a tense, chess-like feel. Brighton didn’t arrive to sit deep and hope; they tried to squeeze Liverpool’s build-up, forced a few hurried clearances, and looked to break quickly when the ball popped loose. Liverpool had their own spells of possession, but Brighton’s shape kept the central lanes crowded and made the home side work for any sight of goal.
There was an early reminder that the margins were thin when Liverpool thought they’d created an opening from a wide delivery, only for the move to fizzle out under pressure, and later another Liverpool attack ended with an offside flag wiping out what would have been a momentum-shifting moment. At the other end, Brighton had the type of chances that can swing a cup tie: a threatening passage just before the break forced Liverpool into urgent defending, with Alisson needing to be sharp to keep the score level and his defenders throwing bodies into blocks to protect the goalmouth.
That resistance finally cracked three minutes before half-time, and the timing was brutal for Brighton. Liverpool worked the ball into a dangerous area, a clever delivery found space at the far side, and Curtis Jones arrived with composure to finish and put Liverpool 1-0 up on 42 minutes. It was a goal that changed the emotional temperature of the match: Liverpool had been steadily increasing pressure, and Brighton—who’d competed well—suddenly had to chase rather than manage.
Brighton tried to respond after the interval, but Liverpool’s second goal arrived as a statement of quality. In the 56th minute, Liverpool stitched together a sweeping move that shifted Brighton from side to side, Mohamed Salah’s involvement sharpened the attack, and Dominik Szoboszlai met the final pass first time with a ferocious strike that flew beyond the goalkeeper and into the top corner. In a game that had been tight and edgy, that moment felt like the door slamming shut. Brighton’s plan—stay close, stay brave, take a chance—was suddenly being swallowed by the pace of Liverpool’s transitions and the confidence that surged through Anfield.
The third came from the penalty spot on 68 minutes and it arrived in the most familiar way: Salah drawing the decisive action and then taking responsibility. He was brought down in the box after darting into a dangerous position, and he smashed the penalty home with the kind of certainty that takes the air out of any comeback attempt.
At 3-0, the tie was effectively over, and the final phase became about game management: Liverpool keeping control, Brighton trying to salvage pride, and both benches rotating to protect legs and reward squad players. Liverpool even had another moment that could have added gloss when a late finish ended in the net, only for it to be ruled out, sparing Brighton an even heavier scoreline.
Afterwards, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot focused on the professionalism of the performance and the way his team grew stronger as the game went on. He spoke about the importance of progressing in knockout football and highlighted the team’s improved intensity and physical condition, pointing to how Liverpool were able to raise their level in the second half rather than fade.
Slot also singled out Salah’s overall contribution, not just the goal and assist but the work without the ball and the way he helped set the tone in key moments, stressing that when Liverpool’s attacking leaders combine output with effort, the whole side becomes harder to play against.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, meanwhile, sounded torn between pride in how his team approached the game and frustration at the decisive moments. His view was that Brighton had spells where they did enough to score or at least make Liverpool properly wobble, but they didn’t take their chances—and at this level, missed moments are punished.
He also pointed to the swing of timing: conceding just before half-time hurt, and conceding that second goal early in the second half made the task enormous. Hürzeler’s message was that Brighton’s structure and intent were there, but the ruthless edge wasn’t, and that’s what separated a competitive performance from a cup exit.
In the end, Liverpool’s quality told. Brighton made it awkward, created danger, and had a window where the tie could have tilted, but Liverpool found the first goal at the perfect time and then turned the contest into something much more one-sided with a brilliant second-half burst. Jones got the crucial opener, Szoboszlai lit up Anfield with a stunning finish, and Salah put his stamp on the night with a goal, an assist, and the kind of influence that makes cup ties feel inevitable once Liverpool get their noses in front.
