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ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Arne Slot picked up another big three points after a testing period with Hugo Ekitike firing his team to a win over Brighton — where Mohamed Salah made his return.
Forty-six seconds into the game, Ekitike fired Liverpool in front, but it took until the second half for Liverpool to double its lead through the Frenchman, who got on the end of a perfect Salah corner.
Salah, the story of the week, made a strong impression here, although not everything came off for him. After beating Inter Milan midweek and all the drama the Egyptian caused, it was a big result for Arne Slot. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Mohamed Salah returns
Salah, we knew yesterday, was to return to the Liverpool matchday squad for this game after sitting out the trip to Inter Milan midweek. What we didn't know was that he would be called upon to play the majority of the match.
After Joe Gomez's injury inside the first half an hour, the Egyptian was the man turned to, with Dominik Szoboszlai moving back. The crowd cheered almost as loudly as for the opening goal.
"What I need is a conversation with him and I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here," Arne Slot had said on Friday morning, playing down the situation.
"You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it [other than] that I speak to him today. Like I said, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow."
How did it look then? Well, like Salah was determined make his point on the pitch rather than in the mixed zone, like last week.
He ran hard, he passed more than he normally does, and looked like a proper team player. As reactions go, it was as close to perfect as he could have imagined after the last few days.
Hugo Ekitike decisive
Both Slot and Virgil van Dijk spoke in the build-up to the game about the need to build on what was a big European victory midweek at Inter Milan.
Within a minute, that looked like being the case. Ekitike fired the ball into the roof of the net and several other players looked very sharp. Curtis Jones was excellent throughout, for instance, while Florian Wirtz was in equal parts classy and industrious.
At no point this season has Liverpool been able to put together a strong run of form and proper momentum, aside from an early period that looked unsustainable.
With some key men looking back to something like their normal level, however, perhaps that is changing. And with a full week on the training ground before Spurs, this is the time to kick on.
Arne Slot system pays off
Slot set his side up in a formation similar to the one that beat Inter Milan midweek, with Alexander Isak dropping to the bench and Wirtz coming in. There was a change at left-back too, of course, but the shape was similar.
Wirtz, rather than Curtis Jones, was in the role playing off the left, and the Scouser moved inside. Jones, especially, was everywhere, popping up in positions high and deep.
There was a legitimate question to be asked about whether Salah can fit into that system (not that he will be able to during the next few weeks, as he is at AFCON), but it seems the answer is yes.
That is an extra reason to stick with it, on top of Liverpool generally looking much more solid defensively. It isn't perfect, but it is better — and Slot's side was facing a very capable team.
Anfield dominance
The last time Liverpool won a home game before this was November 4 (against Real Madrid), with heavy defeats against Nottingham Forest and PSV since then, plus the draw against Sunderland.
"I think we've struggled at home and away from home far too many times than we would like," Slot admitted in his pre-match press conference.
"There are reasons for that which I think I have spoken about, everybody has spoken about, many times. But [there are] never enough reasons to lose so many times."
Making Anfield a fortress again would go a long way towards clinching Champions League qualification for the Reds. Liverpool is extremely unlikely to be able to achieve anything more than that in the Premier League, but it is a must.
Wolves and Leeds come to L4 next. Those fixtures can now be viewed more with anticipation rather than trepidation, even if there is work to do in both.
Premier League standings
Things are so congested in the Premier League table that one win can change everything when it comes to the perspective of teams chasing the European places.
Liverpool began the day in 10th spot but ended it level on points with fifth-placed Crystal Palace. Another couple of wins over the festive period and Slot's side will be closing in on Manchester City.
Consistency is what Van Dijk has called for across the last few weeks. After the tough period that Liverpool has experienced this season, it couldn't be more needed. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is the start of the corner being properly turned.
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