Florian Wirtz denied first Premier League goal before injury in Liverpool win

Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Brighton was overshadowed by a frustrating evening for Florian Wirtz, who was denied his first Premier League goal of the season before being forced off with a right ankle injury.

The Germany international thought he had opened his league account in the 17th minute when he struck a powerful effort after Brighton failed to clear the ball properly. However, the goal was credited as an own goal to Brighton’s Pascal Groß after his touch changed the direction of the shot.

Without Groß’s intervention, the ball was expected to travel wide of the goal, meaning Wirtz was denied the opportunity to claim the finish for himself.

His personal disappointment deepened in the second half when he was injured in the 59th minute. Wirtz challenged Ayari outside the penalty area and appeared to twist his right ankle during the incident.

The 22-year-old received treatment and initially attempted to continue, but was unable to carry on. Andoni Iraola replaced him in the 65th minute, leaving the seriousness of the injury and the midfielder’s potential return date unclear.

Wirtz had shown signs of regaining form in recent weeks. He scored in Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League in midweek, raising hopes that he could build momentum in a Liverpool shirt.

Instead, the Brighton match brought a setback on an individual level, despite Liverpool securing an important result.

Brighton created several promising opportunities but could not convert them. Ayari was particularly wasteful, missing a number of dangerous chances, including one effort that went narrowly wide and another that came back off the post.

Liverpool capitalised on their opponents’ defensive errors and doubled their advantage through Alexander Isak in the 21st minute. The striker reacted quickest to a rebound after another mistake at the back to put the result beyond Brighton’s reach.

The victory gave Liverpool three valuable points and moved them to within one point of Brighton in the Premier League table.

But the condition of Wirtz remains the main concern to emerge from the match, with Liverpool now waiting to learn how serious the ankle problem is and how long he could be unavailable.