Liverpool hosted Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, seeking their first win in three Premier League games after a challenging period. Their recent league form saw them secure only one victory (against West Ham United) in their last five matches, with two losses and two draws, since beating Aston Villa 2-0 in early November. This weekend's significant development for Liverpool was the return of star forward Mohamed Salah to the matchday squad, initially on the bench, after he missed the UEFA Champions League trip to Italy where Liverpool achieved a professional 1-0 win over Inter Milan, despite not creating many chances from open play.

Manager Arne Slot's tactical switch to a diamond in midfield had made Liverpool harder to play through, but the offensive understanding between strikers like Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike was still developing. Isak was a doubt for the Brighton game, and Cody Gakpo was also out injured. Defender Conor Bradley was suspended, leading Joe Gomez to continue at right-back.

During the match, Mohamed Salah made an early and impactful return, coming off the bench after just 25-26 minutes to replace the injured Joe Gomez. His early introduction was met with a big applause from the Anfield crowd. At the time of Salah's entry, Liverpool was already 1-0 up, thanks to Hugo Ekitike's goal scored within the first minute of the game. Dominik Szoboszlai, who had started on the right wing, moved to right-back to accommodate Salah's presence on the field.

Salah's return followed a period of controversy. He had been left out of the travelling party for the Champions League victory over Inter Milan after giving an