Arne Slot blown away by two ‘quality’ Liverpool substitutes during 2-1 Brighton win

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Liverpool secured what could go down as one of their biggest results of the Premier League this season after beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1.

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah were on the scoresheet as Arne Slot’s side came from behind to best the Seagulls, with the win putting Liverpool top of the Premier League standings with Arsenal and Manchester City both losing.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	10	8	1	1	19	6	13	25
2	Man CityManchester City	10	7	2	1	21	11	10	23
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	10	5	4	1	14	7	7	19
4	ArsenalArsenal	10	5	3	2	17	11	6	18

With Slot blown away by Salah’s goal against Brighton with the Liverpool manager also praising Joe Gomez’s performance, there was a lot of reasons for Red fans to be happy with the dramatic win at Anfield on Saturday.

And there were two more players Slot was impressed with in Liverpool’s win against Brighton.

Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones praised after ‘quality’ Liverpool cameos

Speaking to the press, the former Feyenoord manager was full of praise for Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones, who changed the game for Liverpool after coming on in the second-half just past the hour mark.

With Jones assisting Salah’s winner and Diaz causing Brighton problems having come on with fresh legs, the two substitutes were influential in Liverpool securing a huge Premier League win, and Slot was impressed with what he saw from the duo.

Slot said: “I don’t think in the second half anybody deserved to be taken out; in the first half they almost all deserved to be taken out, but in the second half they didn’t. But if you then have the likes of Lucho [Diaz] and Curtis Jones, you bring them in.

“For me, it’s not that much of a risk if you are 1-0 down to bring players in that can score a goal, as long as you know that these players can play with the same intensity as the ones that started. And that’s what Lucho and Curtis brought: intensity without the ball and quality with the ball.”

Slot is managing Liverpool’s squad expertly

Slot is regarded as a manager who doesn’t like using big squads, with the Dutch coach having a set group of players he trusts and will use whenever available and if needed for the situation at hand.

And bringing on Diaz and Jones and the timing of these substitutes showed exactly how Slot is getting the best out of this Liverpool squad, even with the Reds having few options outside the main starting XI.

Indeed, injuries are yet to hit Liverpool this season, and Slot will have to ensure that he doesn’t begin losing key players in the coming weeks, especially with the Reds top of the table.