Liverpool

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Fan Abigail Rudkin says summer loan signing Ronald Araujo is "everything I could want in a Liverpool player" after another rock-solid performance in defence as the Reds shut out Brighton's relentless attack at Anfield.

The Seagulls are the Premier League's highest scorers this season, but Araujo and his team-mates kept the clinical attack quiet and handed them their second defeat of the season after two quickfire goals in the first half.

After a rocky start to the campaign for the Reds' defence and a lack of options at right-back, the Uruguay international has filled in excellently and solidified himself in the starting XI.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Rudkin said: "Liverpool have got to give Barcelona whatever they want for Ronald Araujo in the summer.

"I fell in love with a loan player and I think the whole of Anfield have. His aggression, his desire, his passion, his ability to play at right-back and centre-back as well. He was absolutely impeccable.

"I could not want more from him. He is literally everything I could want in a Liverpool player and you can already see how much he has fallen for this football club."

How impressed have you been with the on-loan defender? Are you already convinced the Reds should do everything they can to make the deal permanent in the summer?

Get in touch with your views here

Watch the full clip on what Abigail had to say about Araujo and Liverpool's weekend win here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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Virgil van Dijk praised Liverpool's £248m duo of Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola and insists that after the departure of Mohamed Salah in the summer, it's time for others to step up at Anfield.

Isak and Barcola combined neatly for the Reds' second goal in Sunday's 2-0 win over Brighton, a result that leaves Andoni Iraola's side fourth in the Premier League.

Van Dijk told reporters: "It's coming to terms with the reality. What Mo (Salah) has done over so many years as a winger, I don't think anyone can replicate that. What he did was incredible. And the same with Sadio (Mane) and Bobby (Firmino) and we, as a team.

"Hopefully that will all happen again and that's why we work for each other every day. Now, it's the time for others and others have to step up.

"You can always think that it was better back in the days but that's not the mentality we should have at Liverpool and I don't think it's ever been like that at Liverpool. The club will always move on at a certain point. There's always players that will shine and perform for this club."

Like at Brentford last weekend, Barcola assisted Isak in Sunday's win and Van Dijk insisted that the challenge now is to carry on. Liverpool have won their last four games in all competitions and take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, before Arsenal travel to Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.

"Moments like this will give confidence to those players and the team. We've all seen the quality they both possess. You want it to come out as much as possible and as soon as possible," he said.

"The second goal was class and there's been moments this season where they've been very very good but at a club like Liverpool, you have to do it every few days. That's always a challenge but it's a nice challenge to embrace and I'm pretty confident it will be fine."

Listen to more from Virgil van Dijk on BBC Sounds here

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Zaid: I thought we played fantastically, particularly in the first half our three big-money signings showed up and proved their worth. In the second half, we defended with passion, particularly Ronald Araujo was brilliant. But we need to clean up our errors, from Alisson yesterday and Virgil van Dijk on Wednesday. Florian Wirtz hobbling off also didn't look great, but positive signs this match. Either Alexander Isak, Wirtz or Bradley Barcola have to be POTM.

Martin: Great performance from Liverpool, battling hard against an in-form Brighton side. Wirtz, Barcola and Araujo were outstanding, and the Anfield crowd were in full voice, roaring the lads on.

Kev: A good day at the office. Still need to tighten up at the back and stay focused for the full 90 minutes. Fortunate not to concede. The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Sam: That's exactly the start we need to be starting all our matches. Brighton have come from a run of great wins but Liverpool showed that they can keep Anfield a fortress. Wonderful to see the trio of Wirtz, Isak and Barcola being involved in the goals, and Araujo is an absolute beast at the back and not afraid to put in big challenges. Great addition this season!

Brighton fans

Adam: Past two games we've not had that same quality in front of goal and the high press wasn't there as much against Liverpool. Overall happy with the performance, but if Yasin Ayari had buried that first chance the game could've been very different.

Fran: Not our best performance. Didn't seem to want to shoot like other weeks, kept trying to walk it in. Uncharacteristically sloppy in our passing as well. On to the next game!

David: Do not despair! Two fortunate goals for Liverpool, and we could have scored on a number of occasions. 65% of possession and every time we had the ball it looked as if the whole team knew what to do with it. An excellent performance, unfortunate result.

Sarah: Well done lads! Anfield is pretty intimidating - Liverpool played well but so did we. Losing Ferdi Kadioglu was a big blow and Ayari missed a couple he might have got another day but hey ho, we never gave up and kept our energy and tight passing till the end. No shame in losing at Anfield - I'm actually surprised it's their first home win!

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo says it was "important" for his side to get their first win of the Premier League season at Anfield under their belts.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside after the win over Brighton, the Netherlands international said: "For the club that we are, it's not good that it took so long to get the home win. Very happy with today. Clean sheet, good goals, I think a good game against a very good opponent.

"To get the win was very important."

Listen to the full clip above or on BBC Sounds here

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

It has been a long time coming but Alexander Isak might finally be living up to his price tag.

The Sweden striker arrived at Anfield amid huge fanfare in August 2025 when he signed from Newcastle for a British record £125m.

But a combination of a slow start and then suffering a broken leg in December meant his first season at the Reds became something of a nightmare - scoring just four goals in 22 games.

This season has been a different story. Isak's goal against Brighton on Sunday helped Liverpool to an impressive 2-0 win against the Premier League's in-form side, taking his tally to six for the campaign already.

The 27-year-old is averaging almost a goal per game and has scored more than half of Liverpool's Premier League goals this season.

Only Erling Haaland (nine) has scored more Premier League goals this season than Isak and when Liverpool signed him from Newcastle these were the numbers they expected.

For Reds boss Andoni Iraola, this was a fourth win in a row since the loss to Manchester City at Anfield a fortnight ago.

Interestingly, Liverpool's possession of 35.6% was their second lowest on record (since 2003-04) in a Premier League home win.

Both Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola were excellent and Cody Gakpo threatened all afternoon too, with Wirtz unlucky not to be credited for the goal when his strike took a deflection off Pascal Gross and gave Liverpool the lead.

Slowly but surely, his confidence is increasing in a Liverpool shirt and it is clear to see the impact he has on a game.

The German just needs the numbers to improve on his end and Liverpool will hope that he isn't set for a spell on the sidelines after he was substituted in the second half.

Read more on Isak's form

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are monitoring Bayern Munich's 18-year-old Germany midfielder Lennart Karl. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Andoni Iraola's side are starting to find form, with this their fourth successive victory since a 3-0 loss to Manchester City in their previous Premier League match at Anfield.

Since that defeat, the Reds have now scored 14 goals in four games, with big-name players showing their class in the Premier League and Champions League.

Midfielder Florian Wirtz has seen his performances come under huge scrutiny and debate since his move from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2025 in a deal that could rise to £116m.

The German, impressive on this occasion before going off in the 65th minute, thought he had scored his first Premier League goal of the season.

He was originally credited with Liverpool's opener, only for it to be later judged as a Gross own goal.

Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak, who also each cost more than £100m, linked up superbly for Liverpool's second goal with the Reds a constant threat on the counter-attack.

Isak joined in a British record £125m move from Newcastle in September 2025, but he missed a large part of last season with a broken leg.

But the Swede's total of six league goals this season is the second highest in the Premier League, behind only Manchester City's Erling Haaland on nine.

Liverpool could and should have scored more.

Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen twice saved to deny Cody Gakpo and also kept out an effort from Ronald Araujo. Ex-Seagulls midfielder Alexis Mac Allister headed wide against his former side and Isak fired another attempt over.

At the other end of the pitch, the Reds' defensive performances have been questioned this season, but they produced a resilient effort in the second half to stop any potential Brighton fightback.

Andoni Iraola spoke to Sky Sports after Liverpool's victory against Brighton: "We needed this win at home to celebrate it with the supporters. We had a really good performance from the players. We started really aggressively, and we needed this start. We were very focused on starting well and scoring the first goal.

"It feels good and we have to keep going. I am liking a lot of things I am seeing on the pitch. Some of the players had better performances but it is a team you can trust.

On Florian Wirtz: "If they give him the ball or not, he has given us the goal. It is not just about the numbers. It is about being better with him on the pitch. Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch with a small twist of the ankle; it doesn't look big but we'll see.

"We had good match-ups and with the speed Barcola has, playing in behind, we have more speed.

"I want all the players available. The ones that are close - Dom, Victor. We need these players."

Florian Wirtz spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "We had the right mentality today to go into this game. In the first half or first 30 minutes, we were on top of them and really good in the duels, creating a lot of chances. It's good to end the half and we defended good. Really happy about that.

"It's really enjoyable. I think many things weren't so good in the last month so I'm even happier that it's going well at the moment. We are in a good way to get where we want to be. We should keep going like that and I'm happy about that."

On his ankle injury: "I think it should be alright. It's not too bad. I don't know much yet, we have to check it but it won't be long."

Hear more from Iraola on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

Liverpool's possession today of 35.6% was their second lowest on record (since 2003-04) in a Premier League home win, and lowest in an Anfield league victory since November 2010 (35.3% vs Chelsea).

Only Erling Haaland (9) has scored more Premier League goals this season than Liverpool's Alexander Isak (6), who has scored in three consecutive appearances in the competition for the first time since January 2025 for Newcastle (run of 8).

Starting XI:

Alisson: Didn't have a save to make in the first half but was nearly punished when Yasin Ayari hit the post after his careless pass out from the back. Will be delighted with the clean sheet. 7

Ronald Araujo: Showed great strength in the build-up for the first goal and was solid again, defensively. Nearly scored too but his effort was saved. 7

Jeremy Jacquet: Another good performance. Composed on the ball and made some crucial blocks. 7

Virgil van Dijk: Back to his usual self after a relatively poor display midweek. Another clean sheet in the Premier League. 7

Milos Kerkez: Didn't have the best of games and had his work cut out against Diego Gomez but ultimately, part of a Liverpool backline that kept Brighton out. 6

Ryan Gravenberch: Solid work rate, particularly in a game where Liverpool had a lot less of the ball. 7

Alexis Mac Allister: Certainly one of Liverpool's better players this season and bar some loose passes, this was another encouraging display from the Argentine. 7

Bradley Barcola: Did superbly to tee up Isak and was a handful all afternoon for Olivier Boscagli. Did everything but score. 8

Florian Wirtz: Played with such a confidence and unfortunate that his strike was an own-goal from Gross. Caused Brighton plenty of problems throughout. Went off shortly after receiving treatment. 8

Cody Gakpo: Constantly threatened, playing down his preferred left, and had two efforts saved. Unlucky not to get an assist too. 7

Alexander Isak: A simple finish but in the right place at the right time for his sixth Premier League goal in as many games. Still not at his best yet but with those numbers, Andoni Iraola will be delighted. 7

Subs:

Nyoni (on 65, Wirtz): Solid challenge instantly after coming on and the teenager looks like he is improving every week. 7

Ngumoha (on 77, Barcola):N/A

Koumas (on 77, Isak):N/A

Tsimikas (on 88, Kerkez):N/A

Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Chiesa, McConnell.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Newcastle

• Hull City v Brentford

• Liverpool v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Manchester United v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Leeds (16:30)- listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated.

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Liverpool have an extra 48 hours to prepare for this game - they played Villarreal at home on Tuesday, while Brighton were away in the Czech Republic on Thursday.

I don't think it will make any difference, though, because the way that the Seagulls play, I am expecting them to go to Anfield and win.

This has the makings of a great game but, while Liverpool have had a couple of good results, I am still not convinced by them.

Andoni Iraola's side are a work in progress with a tendency to empty their midfield and that means Brighton can hurt them.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Brighton, who have made a brilliant start to the season, head to Anfield to face Liverpool as part of a run of five successive away games. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes going into Sunday's fixture.

Brighton fans in dreamland

Just when Brighton fans thought their excellent start to the campaign couldn't get much better, their side went and scored three goals in the first 10 minutes against Crystal Palace en route to equalling their joint-biggest win against their bitter rivals set way back in January 1956 in the old Third Division South.

Winning four league games in a row by an aggregate score of 15-0 has naturally led to a raft of articles examining their title credentials. That kind of talk may be premature but their blistering beginning has meant the rewriting of their record books.

The 23 league goals they have scored at a rate of 3.3 per game is the most they have netted after seven games of any season in the top four tiers. Across Europe's top five leagues, only Barcelona - with a frankly ridiculous 39 from their nine La Liga games - have scored more so far in 2026-27.

Just three sides have ever scored more after seven games of a Premier League season - Arsenal in 2009-10 (24), Manchester United in 2011-12 (24), and Manchester City in 2019-20 (27). Curiously, none of those sides went on to win the title.

The Seagulls kicked off a run of five games on the road across 14 days in three competitions as their second string drew 0-0 against Jablonec on Thursday. As well as this match at Anfield, they face back-to-back matches at Manchester City, which will give a good indication of what Fabian Hurzeler side could go on to achieve this season.

Liverpool looking to right home wrongs

While yet to find the kind of fluency opponents Brighton have shown this season, Liverpool have only lost one of Andoni Iraola's first 11 matches in charge - and that was against a fired-up Manchester City.

Their past two Champions League games have certainly provided plenty of entertainment, with a whopping 16 goals scored. Ten in the 'for' column is highly impressive but Iraola will not have enjoyed seeing his side conceding six, many of which were avoidable.

The Spaniard will be urging the Reds to transfer their cup form at Anfield into the Premier League. If they fail to beat the Seagulls it will be only the fourth time in their history that they have not won any of their first four home league games of a season after the 1894-95, 1911-12 and 2012-13 campaigns. They last won a home league game on 25 April against Crystal Palace.

They can at least call upon a strong record against Brighton in front of their own supporters, losing just one of their past 13 encounters.

Alexander Isak was their matchwinner last weekend at Brentford and his five goals in five league games is as many as he managed in his previous 20 for both Newcastle and Liverpool. Firmly finding his feet after such a horror start, the Swede has not been on the losing side in his past 15 top-flight matches.

Another big signing who remains under constant scrutiny is playmaker Florian Wirtz. After creating a whopping nine chances from open play against Brentford, he now tops the Premier League charts for that metric this season. However, for all the German's scheming, his assist for Victor Munoz last Saturday was only his second in the league this season.

Rio Ngumoha had no such troubles in a player-of-the-match display against Villarreal. The 18 year-old was devastating, ending the game with two assists, seven completed dribbles and the most touches in the opposition box (12).

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Koumas has talked to BBC Radio Merseyside about making his Liverpool debut, learning from Alexander Isak and the year of breakout stars.

The young forward has been in the Liverpool system since joining from Tranmere Rovers at under-11 level, but earned his place in Andoni Iraola's squad this season after impressing the head coach during the summer.

"I don't think it's something you expect - it's something you have to work and train for," Koumas said.

"The message was sent through training, being there every day and then, after the tour, it was sort of like: 'You're going to be solidified in the first team.'

"For me and my family, it was just a massive moment - we're all massive Reds. It wasn't long ago that we were going to games in the stands so to be a part of it now is a really special feeling."

Koumas has made nine appearances so far this campaign and scored his debut goal in the Champions League against LASK. With forward Hugo Ekitike still out of contention through injury, the 21-year-old is expected to continue playing a big part for the Reds.

When asked whether he has been absorbing traits from starting striker Alexander Isak's game, he said: "I'm definitely learning a lot. But he's a really nice guy first of all, and the player speaks for himself.

"What he did at Newcastle was unbelievable and then he's come to us and he's started to apply the goals now, which is really important. Unbelievable player; I'm always looking to take bits of his game into mine."

This season hasn't only been a breakthrough for Koumas, but also for 19-year-old Trey Nyoni and 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha. The pair both made their Liverpool debuts under previous managers but have settled in under Iraola.

"Trey and Rio are an unbelievable pair of players," Koumas said. "Rio speaks for himself, especially a couple of nights ago [when] he was unbelievable against Villarreal. But he's only going to get better and the sky is definitely the limit for him.

"The same for Trey, unbelievable player, really tidy. Hopefully they just keep getting better now."

Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Brighton at Anfield (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Forward Bradley Barcola trained normally on Friday having held an individual session on Thursday, and is fit. However, it will be "difficult" for Victor Munoz to be ready in time, with the winger still dealing with "some pain" following a knock he picked up against Brentford last week.

• Dominik Szoboszlai also remains unavailable but Iraola said the midfielder isn't far from a return to full training.

• On managing team selection, he said: "With everyone it's about feeling as they are. We are changing the team a lot because we are playing basically every three, four days. Sometimes the players are tired or there is more risk involved and we are deciding with more rest or to use more fresh legs. It's going to continue being the same."

• Iraola said the way he wants his team to play means it is not possible for his players to give less than 100% and still win games. He added: "Imagine I am a right winger and we don't have a right winger on the bench, I will put someone as a right winger. Give everything for 65, 72 [minutes] and then someone will do the 18 or 25. We need to play full gas."

• Liverpool have drawn all three Premier League games at home this season but have secured three victories across other competitions at Anfield. Iraola said: "I want to win games. Home, away, we need points wherever we can get them. Three games we haven't won, but also our [other] three games have been high level – Atletico, Villarreal, Spurs – and we won them with good performances. We play at home the next two games so I would love to win them, but if we were playing away I would say the same."

• On the impact of Lewis Koumas, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni breaking into the first team, he said: "They are supporting each other. You could feel it straight away, even in pre-season with the ones who played the games."

• He continued: "After their performances they were looking at each other, praising each other. When they see one of them getting a start in the Champions League or in the Premier League, maybe it's not themselves but they feel it like, 'OK, I am close to being there'. It's something that's going to be good for them, and also good for the ones in the second team who are looking and have played with them."

• Iraola played Ryan Gravenberch in a more advanced role against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, and the head coach said although the midfielder is "versatile" and can "do a job" in many positions, he sees him as a number eight.

• On facing in-form Brighton, who are third in the table, he said: "They are doing incredibly well. They deserve all the praise they are getting and I think there is little doubt that it is a team that is very well coached. Very good in every phase of the game; without the ball they are one of the best teams and also with the ball they have good quality. We need to be at our very best because right now they have confidence - but I also see my team in a good place."

Hit play above to hear more from Iraola or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to Sunday's full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Sounds from 13:55

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Forward Bradley Barcola was absent from Liverpool training on Thursday before Sunday's Premier League game against Brighton at Anfield.

According to Sky Sports News, Barcola, who came on for Rio Ngumoha in the 74th minute against Villarreal on Tuesday, was doing an individual recovery session at the AXA Training Centre.

Victor Munoz, who missed the 4-3 midweek Champions League win, also did not train and looks like a doubt for Sunday because of a knee problem.

Andoni Iraola is next scheduled to speak to the media at 13:30 BST on Friday.

The Brighton game will be Liverpool's fourth in the space of 15 days since the end of the international break.

Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai are all currently sidelined.

Come back to this page on Friday for all the key lines from Iraola's news conference.