EPL: Salah breaks record as Ekitike double powers Liverpool past Brighton

Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to five matches with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Brighton at Anfield, as Hugo Ekitike scored twice and Mohamed Salah marked his return with an assist.

The win lifts Arne Slot’s side up to sixth place and delivers their first home victory since November 4, reinforcing recent signs of stability after a turbulent week.

Fastest goal sets the tone

Liverpool made an immediate statement, opening the scoring after just 46 seconds, the quickest Premier League goal of the season.

Joe Gomez’s header fell kindly to Ekitike, who controlled and volleyed past Bart Verbruggen with composure.

The early goal gave Liverpool control, though Brighton threatened to respond.

Brighton waste chances

Fabian Hürzeler’s side had clear opportunities to level. Alisson denied Diego Gomez in a one-on-one, while the same player later missed an open goal after the break. Those missed chances proved costly.

Salah returns, Ekitike delivers again

All attention was on Mohamed Salah, recalled after being dropped for the midweek Champions League trip to Inter.

Introduced in the 26th minute following Gomez’s injury, the Egyptian made an immediate impact.

On the hour mark, Salah’s corner found an unmarked Ekitike at the back post, and the Frenchman headed home his second, his 10th goal of the season and second league brace in succession.

Records and unanswered questions

Salah’s assist took him to 277 goal involvements in 302 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, a club record, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s mark at Manchester United.

He narrowly missed adding a goal late on, blazing wide in stoppage time.

With Salah set to join Egypt for AFCON duty and his Liverpool future unresolved, the bigger picture remains uncertain.

For now, Liverpool leave the noise behind with back-to-back wins and clean sheets, while Brighton slip to ninth.