Liverpool progressed comfortably into the fifth round of the FA Cup as Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah all found the net in a 3-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield.
Match Report
Brighton began brightly but failed to carve out any genuine clear openings, while Liverpool gradually tightened their grip on the contest as the first half unfolded.
The hosts believed they had taken the lead when Cody Gakpo headed home Szoboszlai’s superb free-kick, only for the offside flag to intervene. Jason Steele then produced key stops to deny Salah and Milos Kerkez the latter requiring a sharp fingertip save after the full-back drove a powerful effort towards the far corner.
Kerkez played a decisive role in the opener in the 42nd minute, delivering a superb first-time cross that was guided in by Jones, who was filling in on the opposite side of the defence.
Alisson produced an important stop to thwart Diego Gomez just before the interval and followed it with another fine save to keep out Lewis Dunk’s header early in the second half. Brighton were punished for those missed chances in the 56th minute.
Liverpool’s second goal was crafted brilliantly. Kerkez switched play with a floated cross-field ball to Salah, who delicately directed it into Szoboszlai’s path with his instep. Charging in from the right side of the box, the Hungarian unleashed a fierce strike into the far corner.
Salah then added a goal his first in domestic competition since November to accompany his assist. He both won and converted a 68th-minute penalty, sending his effort into the top-right corner after being clumsily pulled down by Pascal Gross.
Seventeen-year-old substitute Rio Ngumoha appeared to have netted a late fourth, but the offside flag narrowly ruled it out, leaving Liverpool to conclude the match with a 3-0 scoreline.
Although the in-form Szoboszlai may have delivered the standout strike, Arne Slot will take particular satisfaction from seeing Jones and Salah back among the goals.
Jones brought an end to a 57-match scoring drought for Liverpool, with his previous strike coming against Leicester City in December 2024.
Salah, meanwhile, registered his first domestic goal since November 1, 2025, versus Aston Villa. During that period, the Egyptian was dropped and later restored to the side by Slot, while also scoring four times at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah played a central role throughout, and this marked only the third occasion in his Liverpool career — spanning 428 appearances — in which he has scored, assisted and won a penalty in the same game. The previous two instances came against Newcastle United and Arsenal in successive matches in December 2018.
Brighton actually recorded more attempts, outshooting Liverpool 17 to 13. However, their chances amounted to just 1.22 expected goals (xG), while the Reds accumulated 1.82 xG, a total enhanced by Salah’s penalty.
