LIVERPOOL, England — It was an autumn afternoon on Nov. 2, 2024, against Brighton & Hove Albion that Liverpool started to believe. A stirring victory over Fabian Hürzeler’s side provided the launchpad for a new managerial era under Arne Slot at Anfield.
Almost two years on, Liverpool’s 2-0 win against that same opponent might also be remembered as the day that Andoni Iraola’s Reds’ tenure began in earnest. Many of the personnel have changed — including, of course, the man in the Anfield dugout — but Sunday’s triumph felt like a potentially defining moment for a team quietly beginning to find their feet under their new head coach.
It was not the perfect Liverpool display, by any means. Brighton ended the afternoon with 1.35 expected goals (xG) compared to the Reds’ 0.87, having enjoyed 64.4% of the possession.
And yet, it never really felt like Liverpool were at risk of surrendering the three points after an own goal from Pascal Gross and a deft finish from Alexander Isak gave the hosts a deserved first-half lead.
While both teams huffed and puffed, the second half was relegated to a relative non-event, opening the door for Liverpool to claim their first home Premier League win under Iraola and their first home victory in the competition since beating Crystal Palace 3-1 back in April.
“I’m very happy,” Iraola said in his postmatch news conference. “I’m happy with this fourth win [in a row]. I think today we had a very good opposition in front of us, similar to Villarreal the other day — teams that are technically really good. I think today the key was how we started. We needed a strong start, to be aggressive, recover balls, win our duels and be dangerous in transitions. I think we did that and it’s been a different game to those where we conceded first.”
Having developed a reputation for being perpetually slow starters in the Premier League, Liverpool took a different approach against Brighton, playing with the verve and intensity that has too often been lacking in recent times. Their front-footed approach did leave them susceptible to an early scare from Yasin Ayari, who should have done better when he blazed over the crossbar from a fine cutback from Gross.
But Gross’ afternoon quickly went from bad to worse when, just a few minutes later, he diverted Florian Wirtz‘s strike into the back of his own net to put Liverpool in front. While Wirtz was not credited with the goal, his steady improvement has been one of the most encouraging aspects for Iraola in recent weeks and he impressed again against Brighton before being substituted in the second half.
It fell to Liverpool’s two other big-money signing to double the hosts’ lead in the 21st minute; the fleet-footed Bradley Barcola fizzing the ball into the path of Isak who tucked it away past Bart Verbruggen. Barcola now has five goal contributions in his last four games for Liverpool across all competitions, with his last two assists being converted by Isak.
The Sweden international now finds himself in a rich vein of goal-scoring form, with six goals in seven league games so far this term. He has scored in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time since January 2025 for Newcastle United (run of eight) and he increasingly appears to be carrying himself with the ruthlessness and swagger one would expect from a British-record £125 million signing.
While Liverpool’s improving attack was the decisive factor in Sunday’s game, some of the plaudits belonged to defender Ronald Araujo, whose renaissance continued against Hürzeler’s side. In a stadium that has too frequently been discordant over the past 12 months, Araujo’s relentless appetite for defending is proving to be the unifier that Anfield needs.
At one point in the first half, the defender headed the ball clear while lying prone inside his own penalty area and was promptly rewarded with a serenade from the Kop. For a fanbase that prioritizes grit and desire above all else, Araujo continues to be a breath of fresh air.
“It helps a lot,” Iraola admitted. “I think we all enjoyed watching Ronald fighting. He’s very good in the duels. Even for the first goal, I think he wins two duels in a row and he arrives to the byline and after it’s not an assist but it’s worth an assist.
“Defensively he’s been really, really good and I’m happy for him because I’ve taken him out [at halftime] in the last two games because we needed more offensive things and he has continued working with no issues. Today, when we needed him more, he has given us a very good 90 minutes.”
Liverpool have now lost just one of their 12 games in all competitions under Iraola, winning eight. While other clubs across the Premier League already find themselves mired in crisis following a managerial change, it has been a quietly impressive start from the Basque coach — although the Reds’ next two games against Chelsea and Arsenal will provide stern tests.
In the dying minutes against Brighton, the Liverpool faithful launched into a spirited rendition of “A Liverbird Upon My Chest” — an old anthem which enjoyed a resurgence in the Premier League title-winning campaign under Slot in 2024-25.
While it remains unlikely that Iraola will be able to emulate the feat of his predecessor this term, Sunday’s win showed the Reds are, at least, heading in the right direction.
