'Arne Slot was right about Liverpool and I saw four players start to prove it'

Mohamed Salah found some form as Liverpool knocked Brighton out of the FA Cup, and he wasn't the only positive for Arne Slot on an important night for the Reds boss

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

"That is something I think I dislike the most, even more than the results, even more than the league table, that not all of our fans in every moment find us a joy to watch."

Those were the words of Liverpool head coach Arne Slot a week or so ago, for which he was criticized in some quarters. In reality, what he meant was that for the Reds to improve their results on a consistent basis, one way or another, they would also have to play well.

After a stormy period, this week was something calmer. Liverpool deservedly beat Sunderland on Wednesday and then followed that up with a convincing — and eventually entertaining — victory over Brighton in the FA Cup. So is this the start of a corner being turned?

Milos Kerkez, who has been excellent in recent weeks and clearly getting to grips with life as a Liverpool player, was really good once again here, snapping into tackles and beginning to make more of an impact in the final third.

Dominik Szoboszlai, his fellow countryman, had a quiet first half, but then clicked into gear. He scored his 10th goal of the season when he smashed home a shot, set up by Mohamed Salah.

Salah too was much better than he has been for a long while. Even before his penalty and his assist, his overall game looked perked up and every movement quicker and sharper.

Szoboszlai was on target again in Liverpool's FA Cup win over Brighton

Filling in at right-back, Curtis Jones was the other outstanding performer. He won't want to play there every week, but staked a claim to be in the team more often on his first start for around a month.

It wasn’t all perfect. Florian Wirtz, who has been excellent lately, was quiet and couldn’t quite get his touch right. Cody Gakpo had moments, but nothing sustained.

Wirtz, in particular, though, has already shown exactly what he can do in recent weeks. This was a game when others needed to — and did — take center stage.

"You can already see their progress," Slot said during his post-match press conference when asked about his new signings.

"I’ve said many times that next season, the end of the season, or in two seasons, players like Hugo [Ekitike] and Florian [Wirtz], because these are two that come from the Bundesliga, will be better than they are now because they’re already good players for us."

Salah, chiefly, in the context of his poor season, was the big positive on this occasion. And as a result, the chances of a trip to Wembley or two increased that bit more.

Various parts of the Liverpool team have improved of late, without it all being good across the pitch. In time, it is clear what the plan is, and what things should start to look like.

This was perhaps the closest we’ve seen to everything clicking, albeit against a struggling side — another big step in the right direction.