Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola hails Alexander Isak’s return to deadly best

Alexander Isak continued his impressive scoring form as Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday, with manager Andoni Iraola praising the striker’s growing influence after another decisive performance at Anfield.

The Sweden international found the net after Pascal Gross’ own goal had given Liverpool an early advantage, helping the Reds secure a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions.

Isak has now scored six goals in seven Premier League appearances this season, including three in his last four matches, as he begins to justify the £125 million Liverpool invested in him following his acrimonious departure from Newcastle.

After a difficult debut campaign, the forward is showing signs of returning to the prolific form that made him one of the Premier League’s most sought-after strikers.

“If we can put him in those positions, we can provide him good crosses, good situations, he will score the goals,” Iraola said.

Liverpool find winning formula at Anfield

The victory marked a significant milestone for Iraola, who had failed to win any of his first three Premier League games on Merseyside since taking charge in the close season.

Having previously enjoyed Champions League and EFL Cup successes at Anfield, the Spaniard finally secured his first top-flight win at the stadium with a performance that highlighted Liverpool’s improved efficiency.

The Reds have now won four successive matches in all competitions since suffering a damaging 3-0 home defeat against Manchester City.

Their latest triumph lifted Liverpool to fourth in the Premier League standings, one point behind third-placed Brighton, while keeping them six points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Iraola was pleased with the response from his players, particularly their approach from the opening whistle.

“Very happy for today, very happy overall for this fourth win,” he said.

“We faced a very good opposition and it was key how we started today. We needed a strong start, be aggressive, recover balls, win our duels, be dangerous in transitions.”

He added that Liverpool had learned from recent matches in which they conceded first and were forced to chase the game.

“I think we’ve done that and it has been a different game from the last ones, where we’ve conceded first.

“After, you need the comeback. Today we’ve started better and the game has gone differently.”

Wirtz injury raises concern

Liverpool’s victory was tempered by an injury to playmaker Florian Wirtz, who was forced off after twisting his ankle.

However, Iraola played down fears of a serious problem, although he acknowledged that the club would need to assess the midfielder given the demanding fixture schedule.

“Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch with a small twist of the ankle,” he said.

“It doesn’t look very big, but we are playing every three days so we need to see where he is.”

Liverpool will hope Wirtz recovers quickly as they seek to maintain their momentum in the Premier League and sustain their challenge near the top of the table.

Brighton rue missed chances

Despite the defeat, Brighton enjoyed significant spells of possession and created opportunities to trouble Liverpool.

The Seagulls controlled 64 per cent of the ball and registered 17 shots, but only one effort tested the goalkeeper. Yasin Ayari also struck the post as Brighton struggled to convert their attacking pressure into goals.

Their defence had gone more than nine hours without conceding before Liverpool breached it twice in quick succession.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler felt his side deserved more from the encounter, pointing to their willingness to attack and the chances they created before the hosts scored.

“I think everyone in the stadium saw that there was one team who really tried to create and try to win this game and therefore I have to praise my players,” he said.

“There was a missed opportunity for us. Before they scored, we had one, two big chances and I think it was just the difference that they scored, we didn’t score.”

Hurzeler acknowledged Liverpool’s defensive resilience but argued that Brighton lacked the finishing quality required to change the outcome.

“They kept a clean sheet because they defended well. They blocked a lot of shots. They really defended the box well. We didn’t have that efficiency.”