Brighton’s four-match Premier League winning run came to an end at Anfield, and Lewis Dunk was right at the centre of the decisive moment as Liverpool took control on their way to a 5-0 victory. It was also Liverpool’s first Premier League home win of the season, which made the result feel like more than just a routine home success.
The big question before kick-off was whether Brighton could turn a fine spell of form into a fifth straight league win and a clean sheet. Instead, Liverpool produced the sharper edge in the moments that mattered, and that was enough to break Brighton’s run.
Lewis Dunk and the opening goal
The opening goal came after Florian Wirtz held off Lewis Dunk in the buildup, a detail that summed up the difference between the two sides. Brighton were in the game for periods, but Liverpool were stronger in the key duels and more decisive once they got into the final third.
That is the sort of moment that can change the whole tone of a match. Dunk has been a reliable figure for Brighton, but this was one of those instances where the defensive margin was very small and Liverpool punished it.
Hürzeler saw a missed opportunity
After the match, Fabian Hürzeler praised Brighton’s performance and made clear how frustrating the result felt. He said everyone in the stadium could see there was one team who really tried to create and tried to win the game, and that he had to praise his players for that effort.
But he also pointed to the ruthless difference in both boxes. “The difference was that they scored and we didn’t,” he said, before adding that Brighton could not keep the clean sheet because of easy mistakes and lost personal duels, even though he still saw a team with a lot of good things.
That is the balance Brighton will have to live with after this defeat. The performance was not without merit, but against stronger opposition the small errors were enough to undo the progress of the previous four league wins.
What the result says about Brighton
There was also a reminder of Liverpool’s quality in the fact that Alexander Isak scored for the sixth time in six Premier League appearances. That kind of consistency is what turns tight games into controlled wins, and Brighton simply could not match it at both ends of the pitch.
Hürzeler called it a missed opportunity, and that feels like the right summary. Brighton had the form to believe they could make it five in a row, but Anfield exposed the gap between being competitive and taking the big chances when they arrive.
For Lewis Dunk and Brighton, the response now has to come quickly. The run is over, but the performance still offered enough to suggest they can recover — provided they clean up the details that Liverpool punished so effectively.
