Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday 25 October 2026, with both goals coming inside the opening 21 minutes to lift the Reds up to fourth in the Premier League.

The home side made a fast start. In the 17th minute, Florian Wirtz's shot was deflected in by Pascal Groß for an own goal, giving Liverpool the lead and putting Brighton on the back foot early. Four minutes later it was 2-0: Alexander Isak finished from Bradley Barcola's cross in the 21st minute, doubling the advantage before the game had even reached the midway point of the first half.

Isak's goal was his sixth of the season, and it continued a fine run of form in front of goal — he has now scored in three consecutive Premier League appearances. For a striker, that kind of sequence matters. Goals breed confidence, and a forward scoring in three straight league games becomes the player his team looks for and the player opponents plan around. Barcola's cross gave him the chance; Isak did the rest.

Brighton did have their moments. Yasin Ayari hit the post for the visitors, a reminder that the game was not as comfortable for Liverpool as the early scoreline suggested. On another day, that effort goes in and the match takes a different shape. Brighton also had to cope with an early setback of their own, as Ferdi Kadioglu went off injured in the first 10 minutes — a disruption no team wants when they are already chasing a game away from home.

Despite the defeat, Brighton stayed third in the table. That is a measure of how strong their start to the season has been: this was only their second defeat of the season, and even a loss at Anfield was not enough to drop them out of the top three. They remain one of the stories of the campaign, and a 2-0 defeat away to Liverpool will not change that.

For Liverpool, the three points moved them up to fourth. The early goals settled the match, and the Reds were able to manage the game from a position of control after the quick start. Scoring twice in the opening 21 minutes changes everything about how a match is played: the team in front can be patient, the team behind has to chase, and the risk of conceding on the break grows with every attack.

The result also fits into a dramatic Matchday 8 across the Premier League. On Saturday, Aston Villa ended Manchester City's unbeaten start with a 2-1 win at Villa Park, while on Sunday Manchester United were beaten 3-0 at home by Bournemouth. In that context, Liverpool's professional 2-0 win — secured early and without drama — was exactly what the Reds needed to climb the table.

After the weekend, Manchester City remain top, Arsenal are second on goal difference, Brighton are third and Liverpool are fourth. The top four is tightly packed, and Liverpool's win over Brighton — built on an own goal, a striker in form, and a fast start — keeps them right in the middle of it.