'Mentality Monsters 2.0' - UK media hails Liverpool win as Arne Slot truly arrives

Liverpool edged ahead in the Premier League race, securing a 2-1 victory against Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, nudging the Reds two points clear at the top.

Brighton initially took the lead with Ferdi Kadioglu's first-half goal, but Liverpool's comeback was spearheaded by Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, who delivered the goals that clinched a crucial win, especially significant as both Arsenal and Manchester City stumbled in their fixtures.

We've taken a look at how the UK national media reported on the game, with Arne Slot having now won 13 out of 15 matches in charge since taking over from Jurgen Klopp.

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The Times: "Arne Slot waited. And waited some more. And then, just when he might have wondered if it would be one of those days when everything that could go wrong did go wrong, he witnessed the true power of Anfield.

"The maelstrom that whipped up around Brighton and Hove Albion in the second half was started by the home crowd recognizing their team, outplayed and cut adrift at the interval, needed assistance. It would push Liverpool over the line.

"There may have been an element of fortune about Cody Gakpo's equalizing goal, which was intended as a cross but nestled in the corner of the net, but there was no luck involved for the winner three minutes later.

"Mohamed Salah cut inside Pervis Estupinan and thumped a stunning finish beyond Bart Verbruggen in a blur, and the roar that filled the air would have reverberated for miles around."

The Telegraph: "He has been at Anfield four months, but this could be the day Arne Slot truly became Liverpool's manager. When inspiration was needed, a team and stadium in need of galvanizing after a shocking 45 minutes, Slot and his players found the answers.

"Mohamed Salah's sizzling winner completed a stirring comeback against Brighton and suddenly Liverpool are top of the Premier League again. Liverpool will linger on the joys of the second half, how the old intensity returned and Brighton did not know what hit them as Slot saw the power of Anfield for arguably the first time since his appointment.

"They must also heed the lesson from the turmoil of the first half. Throughout their excellent run at the start of Slot's reign, there has been a nagging doubt that something is not quite right. Theories abound. Do they need a No 10 or striker with more killer instinct? Are they occasionally guilty of slowing the game down too much when a higher tempo is required?"

BBC: "Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton at a rocking Anfield and go top of the Premier League on the day their two title rivals both suffered defeat. With Arsenal having already lost at Newcastle and Manchester City losing at Bournemouth, Liverpool also looked to be slipping up, trailing 1-0 at half-time to Ferdi Kadioglu’s fine strike.

"But Cody Gakpo’s left-wing cross went straight into the net for Liverpool’s equalizer, his third goal against Albion in four days after his Carabao Cup double. And Mohamed Salah curled a beauty into the far corner from the right side of the box to completely turn the game around three minutes later.

"It was an especially impressive comeback because Brighton had been playing so well — and keeping the home crowd quiet at times. Indeed, the visitors had looked set to move up to third in the table when Kadioglu’s shot from 16 yards flew in via the inside of the post in a first half they dominated.

"They could have led by more but Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved Georginio Rutter's effort — before the second-half comeback. Liverpool, who have won 13 of their 15 games under new manager Arne Slot, are two points above Manchester City."

Daily Mirror: "Gomez was superb for Liverpool in the second period as they attacked the Kop. He frequently stepped in to win the ball high and often from Danny Welbeck and Georginio Rutter, both of whom had been excellent in the first half.

"It wasn't that Konate had put in a bad performance before his arm injury, but the introduction of an eager Gomez plus the state of the game just gelled superbly, and Quansah can only have been impressed with what he saw.

"It would be tempting to say that Gomez is ostensibly Liverpool's fourth-choice central defender, but he's proven throughout his career that he doesn't really deal in rankings. There have been times during his nine years at Anfield when he's been first pick for each position across the back line and times when he's been out of the picture for each role. It doesn't matter to him.

"That is what Quansah can watch and learn from as he continues a challenging season which saw him taken off on the opening day at Ipswich and late on against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in midweek, replaced on both occasions by Konate. When the time came to deputize for the Frenchman, it was Gomez who Slot turned to and how he repaid him."

Daily Mail: "Arne Slot has done a remarkable job in stamping authority on his new team given he has been operating in the shadows of his legendary predecessor. This victory, though, had all the hallmarks of a Jurgen Klopp classic.

"To use the old phrase coined by Klopp, this was the Mentality Monsters 2.0, as the Reds showed resilience in abundance to fight back from a goal down — and stinking first-half performance — to beat a spirited Brighton team and return to the Premier League summit.

"It all felt a bit like the late 2010s and Klopp's great team who won a sixth European Cup and first-ever Premier League for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah curling goals into the top corner, the midfield pressing like relentless dogs let off a leash and Joe Gomez imperious at the back.

"Slot had namechecked two teams on Friday as sides he used to rush home to watch or study their tactics: Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and, checks notes, Brighton. Funnily enough, Brighton played like prime Barcelona for 45 minutes and strangled Liverpool to near-submission.

"They say the great Liverpool managers 'get' the club and this felt like the day he might have gained a true understanding of the folklore around the fields of Anfield Road, as the Kop almost sucked the ball into the net in a fightback performance this club is famed for."

The Guardian: "Battered and bruised for 48 first-half minutes by Brighton, top of the Premier League after 96: Liverpool’s mentality monsters live on. A second-half transformation, another stupendous goal from the Mohamed Salah collection and their closest rivals losing conjured the perfect day for Arne Slot’s side out of a far from perfect performance.

Salah curled a trademark winner into the top corner of Bart Verbruggen’s net, less than three minutes after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Ferdi Kadioglu’s first-half opener, to move ahead of Robbie Fowler into eighth in the all-time Premier League goalscorer’s chart. Thierry Henry is next in his sights.

"More importantly, the 164th goal of Salah’s Premier League career moved Liverpool two points clear of Manchester City after their defeat at Bournemouth and a significant seven above Arsenal. No one who witnessed the first half will be getting carried away but the manner of Liverpool’s latest comeback, as Slot put it, 'gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season'."