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Mohammed Salah's 23rd-minute strike was enough to earn Liverpool a 1-0 win over a dogged Brighton and Hove Albion and give them an early top spot in the Premier League with three wins out of three.
Juergen Klopp's side made a strong start, and Brighton's Australian keeper Mathew Ryan did well to keep out a Roberto Firmino header before Trent Alexander-Arnold rattled the crossbar with a 15th-minute free kick.
The breakthrough came when James Milner robbed Yves Bissouma as Brighton tried to play the ball out from the back and a quick exchange of passes from Sadio Mane and Firmino ended with a clinical finish from Salah, last season's top scorer with 32 league goals.
Brighton, who beat Manchester United last week, defended with determination, frustrating Liverpool but creating little until a Pascal Gross header in the 88th minute forced a good save out Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker.
Click through the gallery below to see how we rated the players
Show all 23 1 /23Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Liverpool 1-0 Brighton
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Alisson - 7 His neat footwork was once again on display as he kicked off attacks from the back. He already has a strong command of his penalty area and caught a couple of crosses to ease the pressure the defenders in front of him. Showed a nice bit of skill to cheekily lift the ball over Knockaert as the Brighton man tried to close him down. Made an important save in the last minute to keep Liverpool ahead.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7 Hit the crossbar with an early free kick that was swirling to take it away from the Brighton goalkeeper.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Virgil van Dijk - 6 Was not given too much of a test in defence, but he did show his quality with some very precise cross-field passes to switch the play.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Joe Gomez - 6 After only a few games together, Gomez and Van Dijk appear to be forming a very good partnership. Another good performance from Gomez who may begin to feel that he deserves a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad when he announces it next week.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Andy Robertson - 7 Pretty much played as a winger and tried to channel his inner Luke Shaw by attempting to produce a carbon copy of the United left back’s goal against Leicester, with less success.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Naby Keita - 6 An early shout for signing of the season. Keita’s energy made it incredibly hard for Brighton to move up the pitch with the ball and he won the ball in good areas on several occasions.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Georginio Wijnaldum - 6 Dropped the deepest of the midfield three to keep things ticking over with some nice touches and flicks.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 James Milner - 8 Was relentless in Liverpool’s midfield. His range of passing and crosses were once again very impressive. Became increasingly fed up with some of the Brighton challenges he was on the receiving end of.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Mohamed Salah - 7 This is becoming a familiar sight in the Premier League, again. Scored at Anfield for the second consecutive game with a precise low curling effort into the bottom corner.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Sadio Mane - 5 Almost scored when he met a cross but his header was tamer than it should have been. Was given very little space around the Brighton penalty area and unable to get to the grass behind the Liverpool defence.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Roberto Firmino - 5 Remains the only player of the formidable front three yet to score a Premier League goal this season. Brighton were defending deep and limited the Space between the midfield and defence which Firmino likes to lurk.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Matthew Ryan - 6 Should have done a lot better to prevent Salah’s goal. He got a hand to the low effort and should really have pushed it away, but instead he helped it into the bottom corner.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Martin Montoya - 6 Continues to look like a very decent acquisition for Brighton. Moved the ball on well and won his individual duels.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Shane Duffy - 6 Won a few important headers and defended well as part of a strong unit.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Leon Balogun - 6 Worked hard in the Brighton's organised defence and took no chances at the back.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Gaetan Bong - 6 Spent a lot of the game chasing Salah along the wing and was rarely given the chance to get forward.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Anthony Knockaert - 6 Should have scored when Murray’s cut-back pass fell at his feet, but he could not sort himself in time to hit the ball cleanly. Knelt behind Brighton’s wall when Alexander-Arnold was lining up a free kick on the edge of the box to prevent the ball from going under the wall. Genius idea.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Davy Propper - 6 Embarked on a couple of runs from deep but was left on his own and ultimately did not impact the game too much.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Dale Stephens - 6 Made a few tackles in midfield and looked on of Brighton’s best players on the ball with some nice distribution
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Yves Bissouma - 5 Showed glimpses of promise on the ball, but was at fault for Liverpool’s goal. He assumed a little too much time on the ball and was pressed into giving it away before Salah’s goal. A rude awakening to life in the Premier League.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Solly March - 6 Spent a lot of his evening chasing Alexander-Arnold along the wing and rarely got on the ball himself. Had an animated discussion with Bissouma over who will take an attacking free kick which had to be sorted by Bong.
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Liverpool vs Brighton Player Ratings 25-08-2018 Glenn Murray - 7 Worked very hard and in his own half more often than he ventured into Liverpool’s territory as he spent a large amount of time defending. Battled hard and created a chance for Brighton with some tenacious running to set up Knockaert who missed his effort.
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