The victory kept Liverpool on target to secure a record Premier League points tally, with Juergen Klopp’s side needing nine from their remaining four games to beat the mark set by Manchester City, who amassed 100 points in 2017-18.
Liverpool were 2-0 up within eight minutes after Brighton paid heavily for sloppy work in their attempt to play the ball out from the back.
Naby Keita robbed Davy Propper and slipped the ball to Salah who confidently drove home to open the scoring in the sixth minute.
Two minutes later and Brighton were caught out again by Liverpool’s pressing, this time Salah setting up Jordan Henderson who finished with a perfect drive.
Graham Potter’s 15th-placed team pulled a goal back on the stroke of halftime with Leandro Trossard sweeping home a first-time shot after a pinpoint cross from Tariq Lamptey.
Brighton, who recovered well from their poor start, should have drawn level on the hour when the ball fell to an unattended Dan Burn at the back post but he failed to test Alisson with a poor connection.
Egyptian Salah wrapped up the win, Liverpool’s 30th in their 34th game of the season, with a superbly angled near post header from an in-swinging Andy Robertson corner.
David Silva scored one goal and made two more as Manchester City put on a passing masterclass to overwhelm Newcastle United with a 5-0 Premier League victory on Wednesday.Having announced that he will leave the club at the end of this season after a 10-year spell, the 34-year-old Spanish playmaker showcased all of his considerable skills as City demolished a rudderless Newcastle.
Boss Pep Guardiola heaped praise on City captain Silva, saying that fans would be given a proper chance to say goodbye at some point in the future.
“He’s coming back to make the farewell game in front of all the fans, because he’s an incredible legend,” Guardiola told BT Sport.
He’s a huge competitor, in small spaces, in the pockets, I never saw a player like him.”
The victory moved second-placed City up to 69 points with four games of the league season remaining while Newcastle are 13th on 43.
Gabriel Jesus put the home side ahead in the 10th minute, stabbing home Silva’s clever pass, and Riyad Mahrez made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when Kevin De Bruyne pulled the ball back for him to sweep home from the penalty spot.
Things went from bad to worse for Newcastle in the second half when Matt Ritchie’s last-ditch attempt to dispossess Jesus hit fellow defender Federico Fernandez and flew into the goal to put City 3-0 up.
Silva got himself on the scoresheet in the second half, stroking home a beautiful free kick from the edge of the box in the 66th minute, and he would have had a second if not for a brilliant reflex save by Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka.
Guardiola handed a Premier League debut to 18-year-old midfielder Tommy Doyle, both of whose grandfathers played for the club, in the second half.
Though the City players gave the teenager plenty of chances to make an impact, it was Silva that set up substitute Raheem Sterling for a simple goal in stoppage time to make it 5-0.
Reuters
