Liverpool won't give up the chase and they are hunting down Manchester City by grabbing all the points they can before their clash together. Liverpool had to come through against a stubborn Brighton side, thanks to goals from Luis Diaz and a penalty from Mohammed Salah as the game ended 2-0.
Luis Diaz has been in phenomenal form since he joined Liverpool. He is clever, tricky, scores goals, creates goals and has pace. Jota was in great form before Luis Diaz came as Jota was constantly benching Roberto Firmino and now, Luis Diaz slots into the side as both players sit it out while he plays with Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah.
The beauty of this Liverpool side is that they have the firepower to call upon on the bench and these are players that can change the game. They have Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Minamino on the bench as well and they need to rotate the squad so well as the season is getting towards the business ends where they cannot afford to lose any game.
Luis Diaz got Liverpool ahead with a clever header despite the goalkeeper clashing with him. The ball rolled into the back of the net as he beat the goalkeeper to the ball while he later rolled on the floor due to the impact of it. I still don't understand how it wasn't a red card for the goalkeeper because Luis Diaz got to the ball first and it was a dangerous play by the goalkeeper. That still didn't affect the scoreline as Liverpool took the lead. It was a lovely lofted pass from Joel Matip and it took the bravery of Luis Diaz to get to the ball first and head it into the empty net.
Salah had the chance to double the lead for Liverpool but despite his clever play in beating his marker to get ahead, his finishing was awful as you could see Jürgen Klopp screaming at the touchline questioning why he didn't pass the ball. Salah gestured in asking who he could have passed to but he had at least an option of who to pass to and he felt he would beat the goalkeeper cleverly but was unable to.
Salah almost got his 20th goal of the league with another quick foot but his shot was deflected to the crossbar instead before Mane played the rebound over the bar. Salah wasted another golden chance after Luis Diaz picked him out outside the box but to my surprise, he flashed his shot wide. It looked as though he forgot his shooting boot at home.
Luis Diaz was instrumental to every gameplay by Liverpool in the game. His involvement led to the penalty as Keita's shot was blocked off with the arm of Bissouma. The referee gave a penalty and Salah scored it to register his double figures for the season; 20 goals.
Brighton weren't without chances of their own. Earlier in the game, Maupay almost scored but it wasn't to be and Welbeck forced a brilliant save from Alisson at the near post in the box. Luis Diaz should have capped ha performance with another goal after he was sent clear but he made a mess of the effort and Salah would have had an easy tap into the empty net had he passed the ball instead. Nonetheless, he had an amazing game and he was responsible for everything that went right for Liverpool against Brighton.
Cheers.
Gingered Up! ❣️
