Liverpool vs Brighton LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Mo Salah goal sends Red top of the table

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he can “understand” Xabi Alonso’s decision to remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season after turning down the chance to replace him at Anfield.

“I can speak about a young manager being at a club where he’s doing really well,” said Klopp, who remained in charge of Mainz for seven years before moving onto his first major job with Borussia Dortmund. “I did pretty much the same, and never regretted it. I can understand why he wants to do that.”

Xabi Alonso has confirmed he has decided to stay with Bayer Leverkusen next season – rejecting the chance to manage former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich – as the Spaniard said he is in the “right place to develop as a coach”.

Alonso has taken Leverkusen to the brink of their first ever Bundesliga title, with the club unbeaten this season and 10 points clear of Bayern with eight games remaining. With Leverkusen also in the semi-finals of the German Cup and through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Alonso was seen as the outstanding candidate for a number of top vacancies this summer and is viewed as the best young coach in Europe.

Jurgen Klopp backed the “exceptional” Alonso as his top choice to replace him at Anfield once the German departs at the end of the season, while Bayern also wanted Alonso with Thomas Tuchel set to depart in May. Alonso won major trophies with both clubs, as well as Real Madrid, where he has also been linked once Carlo Ancelotti departs.

But Alonso believes he has “more to do” at Leverkusen next season.

Liverpool are level with leaders Arsenal on 64 points while Manchester City are a point behind with 10 games left in a three-way battle for the title.

Here’s a closer look at how the title race is shaping up:

Liverpool still have a long list of players out injured and Klopp said he was unsure if midfielder Curtis Jones would be available while left back Andy Robertson will take it “day by day”. However, forward Darwin Nunez is available after overcoming a hamstring issue.

“It’s all tricky and everybody needs luck with injuries, we didn’t have it until now but hopefully the boys are coming back. We need them. Then it’s about finding a way to win the game,” Klopp said.

“We have found a way which is good for us to play. Before the (international) break we had games against Manchester City and Manchester United. In parts of those, we played some of our best football of the season. Now we are back.”

Brighton routinely dominate possession while their pressing game has also caused several teams problems. De Zerbi’s side have also scored 10 goals against Liverpool in four meetings in all competitions.

“It’s about having possession, we need to have more possession than in recent games against them. It’s not a normal pressing game, it goes against our rhythm so we have to break their rhythm,” Klopp added.

“The way they play, I couldn’t coach that. It goes against my personality, but it’s a good watch. It’s very demanding on the players... On their day, they can beat any team. But the good news is we can do that as well.”

This week Jurgen Klopp praised Brighton counterpart Roberto De Zerbi for implementing a demanding yet entertaining style 18 months into the job, saying he could never set his teams up to play in a similar manner.

De Zerbi took charge of Brighton in September 2022 and guided the team to sixth in the Premier League, their best-ever finish as they qualified for Europe for the first time last season. Liverpool were the first team De Zerbi faced when he took charge, a 3-3 draw, and the south-coast club have never lost to Klopp’s side since.

“We go for three points, that is clear. But we know how difficult it is against Brighton. Roberto is doing an incredible job there, it’s a different game against Brighton,” Klopp said. “We were the first opponents when Roberto arrived and we had no idea what to expect. It was quite impressive how quick he got the team playing in his way. Since then it only got better.”

Liverpool have the chance to go top of the table today but they will need to defeat Brighton at Anfield in order to ensure they do not drop any points in the title race.

It is very close at the top. Arsenal lead the way, on goal difference, with the same number of points as the Reds (64) while Manchester City are just one behind both in third place.

City and Arsenal face each other in the 4.30pm kick and Liverpool will jump into first place before that match kicks off should they beat Brighton.

It will be a tough game as three points for Roberto De Zerbi’s men will send them up to seventh and put them right in the mix to challenge for next season’s European places.

Liverpool vs Brighton will kick off at 2pm BST today, Sunday 31 March – and remember that the clocks have gone forwards overnight.

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 12.30pm. Subscribers can also watch the match via the Sky Go app.

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Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson injured his ankle playing for Scotland in their 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland during the international break and limped off the pitch as a substitute.

He is being assessed ahead of today’s match against Brighton but it is thought that the ankle injury is not as serious as originally feared.

Though he is unlikely to start he may make an appearance off the bench if required.

How the two teams could line up this afternoon:

Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai, Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Baleba, Gross, Adingra, Moder, Ansu Fati, Ferguson.