Isak scores as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield; full player ratings

Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield in a Premier League match on 25 October 2026, with Alexander Isak scoring his sixth Premier League goal of the season after Pascal Gross’ own-goal had given the home side the lead four minutes earlier. BBC Sport has published player ratings for both teams following the game.

Pascal Gross’ deflected clearance that ended up in the net put Liverpool ahead before Isak’s simple finish doubled the lead, and Florian Wirtz’s strike — which led indirectly to the own-goal — was singled out as influential despite the off-target final result. The ratings piece lists individual assessments for starters, substitutes and unused players and notes user-submitted averages are displayed once the opportunity to rate players has closed.

Alisson was given a 7 after a first half with no saves to make but nearly punished by a careless pass that allowed Yasin Ayari to hit the post; the article adds he will be delighted with the clean sheet. Ronald Araujo also earned a 7 for showing "great strength in the build-up for the first goal" and nearly scoring himself, while Jeremy Jacquet received a 7 for composure and crucial blocks. Virgil van Dijk was rated 7, described as "back to his usual self after a relatively poor display midweek," and Milos Kerkez was rated 6 after a difficult task against Diego Gomez but as part of a defence that kept Brighton out.

In midfield and attack, Ryan Gravenberch was rated 7 for his work rate, Alexis Mac Allister 7 for another encouraging display despite some loose passes, and Bradley Barcola 8 for creating Isak’s goal and troubling Olivier Boscagli. Florian Wirtz received an 8, with the note that he "played with such a confidence" and was unfortunate the strike became an own-goal from Gross, going off shortly after receiving treatment. Cody Gakpo was awarded a 7 for constant threat and two saved efforts, and Alexander Isak was given a 7: "A simple finish but in the right place at the right time for his sixth Premier League goal in as many games. Still not at his best yet but with those numbers, Andoni Iraola will be delighted."

Liverpool substitutes listed included Nyoni (on 65 for Wirtz) who was rated 7 for an instant solid challenge after coming on, while Ngumoha (on 77 for Barcola), Koumas (on 77 for Isak) and Tsimikas (on 88 for Kerkez) were marked N/A. Subs not used for Liverpool were Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Chiesa and McConnell.

For Brighton, Bart Verbruggen was rated 5 after several first-half saves but was beaten by the deflected first goal and had no chance with Isak’s strike. Ferdi Kadioglu was given 5 and was forced off with an injury in the sixth minute, described as holding his hip as he came off. Defenders Luka Vuskovic (6) and Lewis Dunk (5) were noted as battling but the back line conceded, while Olivier Boscagli received a 4 after losing the ball for Liverpool’s second goal, being booked for a foul on Barcola before half-time and being replaced at the break.

Additional Brighton ratings included Pascal Gross 5 for a clearance that landed at Wirtz’s feet and led to the own-goal, Chema Andres 6 before being replaced early in the second half after a knock, Diego Gomez 7 for a through-ball to Gross that set up Ayari’s chance, Yasin Ayari 6 after missing a huge chance and later hitting the post, Maxim De Cuyper 5 and Charalampos Kostoulas 6. Substitutions recorded were Costinha (on 6 for Kadioglu) 6, Hinshelwood (on 46 for Boscagli) 6, Yalcouye (on 54 for Andres) 5 and Rutter (on 75 for Ayari) N/A; the article also lists unused Brighton subs as Steele, Hadjam, Rutter, David, Osman and O'Riley.

After the opportunity to rate players had closed, BBC Sport states the score displayed represents the average from all submissions by BBC Sport users. Readers were also invited to play BBC Sport's Match of the Day Predictor game and to follow their club with BBC Sport.