The Egyptian international exquisitely found the bottom left corner with a first time finish in the 23rd minute at Anfield
LIVERPOOL are looking down on everyone again.
It was back in November 2016, during Jurgen Klopp’s first full season at Anfield, when they last stood at the Premier League summit.
But thanks to Mo Salah’s strike they are back on their perch — with real hope they can stay there this time and end a title drought stretching back to 1990.
The signs are there. This team is better than when they last hit top spot, with only four remaining from the side then.
This vintage has Salah’s deadly finishing, Naby Keita unfazed by wearing Steven Gerrard’s famous No 8 shirt and a £67million goalkeeper in Alisson Becker between the sticks. Fabinho cost £44m in the summer but still cannot get onto the subs’ bench.
In this clash, they hit top spot without hitting top gear — and it needed a stunning save from Alisson to deny Pascal Gross at the end and seal the deal.
But they are also a step up from Brendan Rodgers’ team five seasons ago — the last Reds side to mount a serious title challenge.
A third consecutive win without conceding a goal meant the best start to a season since that campaign. It is early days but Klopp’s current crop should really stick around the summit for a prolonged period now like Rodgers’ team did.
On their day they can beat Manchester City, whose draw earlier on opened the door for top spot. Now they need to show they are better over a period of time.
Klopp insists he would never let the cameras into his club like City did last season.
But it would be fascinating to see how the German gets these displays out of his players.
Whatever he tells them in training, or whatever he is feeding them, it certainly works.
Klopp’s lads are now very comfortable with his brand of heavy-metal football.
They were swarming around Brighton players and pouring forward at pace like the Red Arrows.
Chris Hughton tried to nullify this by packing the midfield but it backfired badly.
Yves Bissouma was brought in for his full debut and his error led to the crucial goal.
The Mali midfielder received the ball in his own territory and promptly lost it as James Milner was on him in a flash.
Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino shifted the ball forward before Salah curled his finish inside the far post.
Admittedly, Klopp’s side were guilty of failing to kill off Brighton when they could.
Mane had his own chances to score, clipping one of them wide and forcing a save with a diving header.
Mat Ryan was kept busy with Firmino getting a header on target at the near post and Gini Wijnaldum going close, too.
Trent Alexander-Arnold whacked the crossbar with a free-kick as the hosts looked in the mood to add to the nine they notched in two games against the Seagulls last season.
There was also a decent shout for a penalty when Davy Propper used his arm to block.
Brighton always had the chance to nick a goal on the counter attack though.
The second half started with the PA system still blasting out — and when the music stopped Liverpool’s defence stood still.
Glenn Murray hustled his way through and got the ball across to Anthony Knockaert to flash his effort wide. It was a let-off.
Murray showed how difficult he is to play against last week when he put Manchester United to the sword — and Virgil van Dijk had to be at his best to battle with him. Some describe VVD as a Rolls Royce of a defender, while Klopp says he is an “SUV… a big one”.
The Dutchman needed all of his muscle to keep a clean sheet, with Brighton giving the home side a real scare at the end.
Alisson had shown his ability with the ball at his feet — the keeper chipped over Knockaert when he looked under pressure, to the delight of the home fans.
But he showed what he could do with his gloves with a minute left when Gross’ header was superbly tipped away. It was a save worth a couple of points.
Klopp says the Premier League is more difficult to win now than at any stage.
He believes it is even harder than breaking Bayern Munich’s dominance in Germany. But his team are giving it a real go.
