PREM: Brighton 0-1 Liverpool

Salah puts Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot

Mohamed Salah's penalty earned Liverpool a gritty 1-0 win at Brighton that moved them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Having lost their previous two matches in 2019, the Reds were frustrated in a tight first half at the Amex Stadium.

However, Salah scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 50th minute after he was clumsily fouled by Pascal Gross.

Brighton did not manage a shot on target and Liverpool will now wait and see if title-rivals Tottenham and Manchester City can close the gap when they play on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Jurgen Klopp had said before the match that Liverpool's situation remained "very positive" even though they had suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

And even though it took them a while to break down Brighton, a third straight defeat never looked on the cards.

The Premier League leaders soon asserted control of the game as Roberto Firmino slid and poked wide from Andy Robertson's low cross in the ninth minute before Xherdan Shaqiri flicked a header wide after a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played despite suffering a slight injury in the warm-ups.

Fabinho, playing at centre-back, was hardly tested, aside from a header that Glenn Murray nodded over the bar.

It was a similar story in the second half, albeit Brighton were chasing the game after Gross clumsily fouled Salah in the box and the Premier League's joint-top scorer fired the penalty past David Button.

Brighton occasionally threatened on the break but Fabinho blocked a shot from Gross in the box and Alisson tipped away a shot from Jurgen Locadia.

Otherwise Liverpool remained in control until the final whistle, even though Salah spurned a fantastic chance to make it 2-0 when he shot wide from eight yards out in the 88th minute.