Vušković and Brighton haven't scored for more than nine hours. Then they received two in 4 minutes

Croatian defender Luka Vuškovic played the full ninety minutes as his Brighton & Hove Albion side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool on Sunday. The loss ended a remarkable defensive run for the visitors, who had previously won four consecutive league matches without conceding a goal. Liverpool’s victory marked their first home league win in six months, snapping a long drought at their stadium. The match was decided early, with both goals arriving within the first twenty-one minutes of play. The opening strike came in the seventeenth minute. Florian Wirtz delivered a shot from inside the box that struck Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross and deflected into the net. The goal was officially recorded as an own goal. Just four minutes later, Alexander Isak extended the lead to 2-0. He capitalized on a pass from Bradley Barcola, who had broken through on the right flank. Isak found space behind the defense and finished from five meters despite a sliding challenge from Vuškovic. This goal represented Isak’s sixth of the season in seven appearances across all competitions. Both goals were assisted or created by players Liverpool acquired for a combined fee of 270 million euros this summer. The club paid Paris Saint-Germain 125 million euros for Barcola and Newcastle United 145 million euros for Isak. Following the defeat, Brighton remained in third place in the Premier League table with 16 points. Liverpool moved into fourth place, sitting just one point behind their opponents. Vuškovic, aged nineteen, faced a difficult task against Liverpool’s rapid attacking trio. In the first half, he failed to contain Dutch winger Cody Gakpo during a direct duel on the left side, though the attack did not result in a goal. Later, in the fiftieth minute, the Croatian center-back reacted well to stop Gakpo during a counter-attack, clearing a dangerous situation near his penalty area. He also managed to block one attempt by Isak. However, his performance included moments of uncertainty. In the sixty-first minute, he attempted a free kick from twenty-five meters out, sending the ball high over the crossbar. A particularly tense moment occurred in the seventy-eighth minute. Vuškovic returned the ball carelessly to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from approximately thirty meters away. Without checking the goalkeeper's position, he played the ball toward the empty net. Verbruggen managed to stop the ball before it crossed the line, preventing a potential own goal. According to statistics provider Sofascore, Vuškovic made six defensive actions, two interceptions, and cleared three dangerous situations while winning possession of the ball six times. Opponents did not beat him with a dribble during the match. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler’s team struggled to find a rhythm after falling behind so quickly. They dominated possession in the second half but lacked precision in the final third. Of their twelve shots on target, only one hit the woodwork. That chance came in the thirtieth minute when Yasin Ayari struck the bar from twenty meters. Earlier in the game, Ayari had missed a clear opportunity in the fourteenth minute, shooting wide from twelve meters while unmarked. Another close call for the visitors occurred in the closing stages when Virgil van Dijk clashed with Charalampos Kostoulas, leading to a penalty appeal. The referee declined to award a spot kick, and video assistant review confirmed the decision. Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s side secured their fourth consecutive victory in all competitions. Post-match, striker Alexander Isak described the performance as good against a very strong opponent. He noted that the intensity in the first half was high and that his team won many balls. For Liverpool, this was their first time scoring in the first half at their own stadium this season in the Premier League. The defeat snapped Brighton’s unbeaten streak of eight matches in all competitions. More significantly, it interrupted a period of nine hours and seven minutes of football during which they had not conceded a goal. Their previous concession occurred on September 16 during a League Cup match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In that game, United led 2-0 early on thanks to goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount, but Brighton reversed the scoreline to win 3-2 without further reply. Since then, Brighton had kept clean sheets in five matches, including four straight league wins with a goal difference of fifteen to zero. Looking ahead, Brighton will travel to Manchester City for their next fixture. Liverpool, meanwhile, continues its push up the table after a prolonged wait for a home league victory. The last time the Reds won at Anfield in the league was on April 25 of the previous season, when they defeated Crystal Palace 3-1.