Liverpool surged to the top of the Premier League with a thrilling comeback victory over Brighton at Anfield, capitalizing on the misfortunes of title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, who both suffered defeats.
Arsenal’s earlier loss at Newcastle and Manchester City’s surprising defeat to Bournemouth had set the stage for Liverpool, but the Reds initially found themselves in trouble.
Brighton took the lead in the first half with a stunning 16-yard strike from Ferdi Kadioglu, which found the net off the post.
The visitors dominated early, momentarily silencing the Anfield crowd and nearly doubling their lead, only for Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher to deny Georginio Rutter’s effort.
Liverpool’s response came after the break. Cody Gakpo, whose Carabao Cup double had helped Liverpool defeat Brighton days earlier, struck again when his left-wing cross floated into the net to level the score. Just minutes later, Mohamed Salah curled a superb shot into the far corner from the edge of the box, completing the turnaround and sending the home fans into raptures.
The Reds held on to secure their 13th win in 15 games under new manager Arne Slot, moving two points clear of Manchester City.
City, meanwhile, had a frustrating day at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth, buoyed by recent positive results against Aston Villa and Arsenal, came out strong, pressing City from the start. Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring in the ninth minute, capitalizing on Milos Kerkez’s cut-back, while City’s offense struggled to gain momentum.
Ederson’s heroics kept City in contention, but Bournemouth doubled their lead after halftime when Evanilson converted another Kerkez assist.
City finally managed a shot on target in the 80th minute, and Josko Gvardiol’s late header offered hope, but a last-gasp chance by Erling Haaland was cleared off the line, sealing a 2-1 defeat and dropping City to second place.
Earlier in the day, Arsenal’s woes continued with a 1-0 loss to Newcastle at St James’ Park, marking their third straight Premier League game without a win.
The Magpies, energized by their midweek League Cup victory over Chelsea, struck in the 12th minute when Alexander Isak headed in Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross.
Arsenal’s attack faltered, missing the creativity of injured captain Martin Odegaard. Declan Rice had a chance to equalize in added time but headed wide from a Bukayo Saka cross.
The defeat left Arsenal potentially trailing the league leaders by as much as eight points.With Liverpool’s comeback win, a lively title race continues, and the Reds now sit atop the Premier League.
