Ekitike Fires Liverpool to Victory as Chelsea Extend Dominance Over Everton

Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to five matches with a confident display at Anfield, overcoming Brighton 2-0 in a match defined by sharp finishing and organised defending. Much of the pre-match noise centred on Mohamed Salah’s return, but it was Hugo Ekitike who seized the spotlight with a performance full of precision and composure in front of goal.

Liverpool opened the scoring inside the first minute. Joe Gomez rose bravely to direct a header toward the Brighton back line, and Ekitike reacted quickest, racing through to sweep a controlled finish past Bart Verbruggen. It was the perfect start for Arne Slot’s side, who entered the match fresh from an impressive midweek win over Inter Milan.

Brighton recovered well from the early setback and crafted several promising openings. Yankuba Minteh flashed a powerful effort just wide, while Alisson Becker produced an excellent reaction save to deny Diego Gomez from close range. The visitors carried genuine threat on the break, but Liverpool managed the tempo with discipline.

An injury to Joe Gomez midway through the first half prompted Salah’s introduction. He was greeted warmly by the Kop and immediately injected pace into Liverpool’s transitions. His link-up play almost created a second goal for Ekitike, who curled an effort narrowly wide after a smooth counter-attack. Brighton pushed back just before the interval, but Ibrahima Konate intervened with a crucial block to snuff out a dangerous opportunity.

Brighton began the second half with renewed purpose and should have equalised when Gomez missed from close range at the back post. Liverpool punished that miss ruthlessly. On the hour mark, Salah delivered a superb in-swinging corner to the far post, where Ekitike found space and guided a composed header beyond Verbruggen for his seventh league goal of the season.

Liverpool controlled the remaining minutes with maturity, maintaining their defensive shape and denying Brighton any rhythm as they marched to sixth in the table.

Chelsea also enjoyed a productive afternoon at Stamford Bridge, beating Everton 2-0 to extend their extraordinary unbeaten home run against the Toffees to 31 Premier League matches. The game began disjointedly following an early injury to Kiernan Dewsbury Hall, but once settled, the Blues asserted full control.

The return of Cole Palmer proved decisive. The midfielder, back from a spell on the sidelines, announced his presence by arriving in the box to steer home a precise pass from Malo Gusto. It was his first goal since September and a timely reminder of his importance to Enzo Maresca’s system.

Chelsea continued to dictate the tempo. Alejandro Garnacho came close with a curling strike that drifted just wide, while Everton failed to capitalise on a rare chance when James Tarkowski headed off target from a promising position.

Moments before halftime, Chelsea doubled their advantage. Gusto, who had created Palmer’s opener, surged forward on a sweeping counter-attack and fired confidently at the near post to make it 2-0. It sealed a result that underlined Chelsea’s upward trajectory and Everton’s lingering struggles.

Liverpool and Chelsea both demonstrated clarity, structure, and conviction. For Liverpool, Ekitike’s form adds a new layer to their attacking threat. For Chelsea, Palmer’s return signals renewed creativity as the season approaches a critical stretch.