Isak Breaks Drought as Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton Claim Crucial Premier League Wins

Liverpool finally found relief from its alarming slump on Sunday, earning a vital 2-0 win at West Ham United as record signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the club. The victory ended a run of nine defeats in 12 matches—Liverpool’s worst spell in more than seven decades—and provided much-needed respite for manager Arne Slot.

Slot made a bold call by leaving Mohamed Salah out of the starting lineup for the first time in the league. Florian Wirtz, entrusted with Salah’s role, showed sharp movement but missed Liverpool’s clearest early chance, directing a tame close-range shot at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Isak, still searching for sharpness, also failed to convert two opportunities before the break, one of which drew “a fine reaction stop” from Areola.

The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark when Isak guided in a low Cody Gakpo pull-back, giving Liverpool the lead it narrowly merited and rarely looked likely to surrender. West Ham’s hopes collapsed late as Lucas Paquetá picked up two yellow cards for dissent within 60 seconds, leaving the home side with 10 men. Gakpo then sealed the result in the 92nd minute, securing only Liverpool’s second league win in eight games. The Reds climbed to eighth place on 21 points, while West Ham dropped to 17th, level with 18th-placed Leeds United on 11 points.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa continued its impressive rise with a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Boubacar Kamara delivered the decisive moment, unleashing “a thunderous shot into the top corner” in the 67th minute after Wolves had missed several good chances. 

The visitors had earlier been denied by an offside call on Jorgen Strand Larsen and a superb Emiliano Martinez save just before halftime. Villa’s fifth straight victory in all competitions pushed the team up to third, one point behind Manchester City. Wolves remained rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points.

Brighton & Hove Albion capped the day with a composed 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest. Maxim De Cuyper struck first in first-half stoppage time, meeting a precise Georginio Rutter cross and finishing calmly past Matz Sels. 

Teenager Stefanos Tzimas then capitalized on a defensive error by Morato in the 88th minute to secure the result. Forest, buoyed by recent wins—including a 3-0 triumph over Liverpool—struggled to break down Brighton’s organised back line and now sits 16th on 12 points. Brighton climbed to fifth with 22 points, one behind fourth-placed Chelsea.