Slot lauds Liverpool's second-half turnaround after being 'outplayed' by Brighton

Arne Slot commended Liverpool's second-half comeback, but acknowledged his side were "outplayed" in the opening 45 minutes of their 2-1 win against Brighton.

Just 128 seconds separated Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah's goals after Ferdi Kadioglu had given the Seagulls a 14th-minute lead with a stunning finish. 

The Reds could have found themselves further behind in the first half, with Brighton squandering several opportunities to increase their advantage at Anfield. 

Caoimhin Kelleher came to Liverpool's rescue to deny Georginio Rutter after he had been picked out by Yasin Ayari's searching pass in behind Virgil van Dijk. 

Danny Welbeck then curled a free-kick narrowly wide before sending another set-piece close, with Brighton ending the half in the ascendency. The Seagulls registered seven shots to Liverpool's five, while also accumulating a 0.78 expected goals (xG) tally compared to the Reds' 0.71 before the break.

"We needed another second-half performance because we were outplayed in the first half. They were better on the ball, more aggressive without the ball," Slot said.  

"Then, everything changed in the second half because it was completely the opposite.

"Our attackers scored the goals but the main difference was we were better positioned and we had the ball a lot more.

"Without the ball they made problems for us but in the second half we just kept running."

The win was Slot's eighth in the Premier League, the most of any Liverpool boss in their first 10 top-flight games. 

But the difference proved to be in the Dutchman's substitutes, with both goals coming after the introductions of Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones. 

Jones set up Salah for the winning goal, a strike Slot described as "special" in his post-match assessment. 

"I was waiting for us to score the goal, but we didn't. That's why I made the substitutions. Both of them came on really strong," Slot continued.

"Then you can say it's a bit of luck, but the goalkeeper cannot react. The second goal was a Mo Salah special.

"It's not the first and not the last time he will score from that position."

Salah's curled finish was his 48th match-winning goal in the Premier League, with only five players netting more in the competition’s history.

The Egyptian also tallied up his 16th goal involvement (10 goals, six assists) against Brighton, only managing more in the top-flight against Manchester United (18). 

Salah's latest contribution sent Liverpool top of the pile after Arsenal and Manchester City's losses, though captain Van Dijk was not getting carried away with their league position.

"It's too early to even make it important. We want to be on top of the league but we want to be there after the last match in May," Van Dijk told Sky Sports. 

"The results have been good so far this season but there is a long way to go.

"It is still a work in progress. We stay humble and keep fighting."