In a world where his former midfield partner Moises Caicedo moved to Chelsea for £115 million and Argentine colleague Enzo Fernandez moved to the same club for a mega fee of £107 million, Alexis Mac Allister could be the signing of the season for a paltry £35 million are.
He may not grab Mohamed Salah’s headlines or be on Manhattan billboards alongside basketball icon LeBron James like Virgil van Dijk, but the Argentine is the magician driving Liverpool’s quest for a record 20th English league title.
This was the fifth consecutive game against Liverpool in which his metronomic performances in midfield yielded a goal or assist, starting with that defensive pass in the 99th minute at Nottingham Forest and ending here with a similar assist from the needle for Mohamed. Salah.
Until then, his old team went hand in hand with Liverpool. Perhaps not in terms of shots or chances created, but there were moments when Brighton caused waves of anxiety to take over Anfield in a match described by some as an audition for Roberto De Zerbi.
But by the end every punter in the stadium was toasting Mac Allister, whether it was the Kop who gave him a rousing ovation or those on the away side who still adore him. The sentiment is reciprocated, with the Argentine making a point of moving to the Albion faithful on a full-time basis.
Alexis Mac Allister put in a virtuoso performance against his old club on Saturday afternoon
Mohamed Salah (centre) scored the second-half winner to take Liverpool to the top of the table
The Egyptian had a series of chances in front of goal on an otherwise frustrating afternoon
The Kop erupted after a clinical passing move saw the Reds star score against Brighton
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De Zerbi said before the match that Mac Allister was a ‘special guy’ for the way he handled his departure from the Amex Stadium, before indirectly firing at ‘others who didn’t’ – cough, Caicedo, cough – while Jurgen Klopp also hailed him as a ‘difference maker’.
And he was right there, with an affectionately caressed pass into the path of Salah to score the winning goal. That was one of 12 shots for Salah on a day when he could easily have scored a hat-trick.
If this was De Zerbi’s audition for one of the elite jobs in Europe, perhaps even Liverpool, then it was certainly not a failure. His team were brave and energetic and, with a little more luck, could have left Anfield with a point despite the Reds scoring 30 shots.
The Italian patrolled his technical area like a man possessed at times, kicking every ball and waving his arms around in a way that made Pep Guardiola look calm. He stormed down the touchline as Brighton scored, but was on his knees towards the end as the chances begged.
Although the clocks went forward overnight, the early stages of this match felt like we were going back to last season. Brighton were at their exciting, slick best with heavy-metal counter-attacking football, while Liverpool looked weak defensively.
Klopp admitted on Friday that even top teams like his Reds had to change their system to play against De Zerbi’s ‘different and unique’ style of play. That was the case here, with the Merseysiders’ average position map representing more of a 2-4-4 shape.
It made for a fascinating cat-and-mouse battle in which the two managers tried to outsmart each other. Brighton’s bravery meant they allowed Liverpool fourteen shots in the first half but had plenty of space to exploit in return, and one of those moments led to their early goal.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi (right) is one of the leading candidates to succeed Jürgen Klopp at Anfield this summer
Danny Welbeck surprised the home fans after just two minutes of play with a fierce drive into Liverpool’s top corner
It was the former Manchester United striker’s third goal against Liverpool in 23 games in all competitions
Mac Allister’s superb pass opened space in the penalty area for Salah to score Liverpool’s winner
The space behind Liverpool’s defense was clinically exploited with less than 90 seconds on the clock as a zapping strike down Brighton’s left saw Simon Adingra get the best of Conor Bradley and set up Danny Welbeck for a thumping finish to give Albion the lead.
But Liverpool have made it a theme this season to fight from behind in games, having already gained 23 points by losing positions in the league before this match. They soon scored chance after chance without causing serious problems for Bart Verbruggen.
And after 27 minutes they finally found the golden touch to bring Luis Diaz level, although the goal was rather sloppy. The ball came after Brighton failed to clear the lines and Salah headed the ball back into Diaz’s path via Joel Veltman, with the Colombian poking it home as he stretched out.
Liverpool could have been at home, submerged and tucked away on the bench, ready for Manchester City against Arsenal, if they had any clinical information about them. Salah scored seven of Liverpool’s 14 shots in the first half as the Egyptian looked close to full match sharpness again after a long-term injury.
This was his first Premier League start since New Year’s Day, with Salah asking to remain out of Egypt’s international camp due to the recent hiatus in club football. Instead he stayed on Merseyside for the daily gym work.
But while he looked physically back to his best, he was perhaps a little off in front of goal and could easily have scored a hat-trick. So it says a lot that Liverpool’s talisman still left this match with a goal and an assist, despite signs of rust in his finished product.
Luis Diaz pounced on a loose ball after Brighton failed to clear a Liverpool corner and sent his effort wide
The Colombian has scored seven goals in his last eight Premier League appearances
The win left Klopp’s men three points ahead of Arsenal and four ahead of Manchester City ahead of the pair’s match at the Etihad on Sunday evening
It was Salah who put the Reds ahead after 65 minutes after a fine team move featuring two Liverpool summer signings at the centre. Dominik Szoboszlai fired a drilled pass to Mac Allister, after which the Argentinian passed the ball via Salah into the far corner.
On a bittersweet note, De Zerbi greeted Mac Allister after the match, saying: “He has become a great player. The assist was incredible. I’m proud of him. He deserves to be an important player in a big team.’
He certainly is. When it comes to summer buying, few have made a bigger contribution than Mac Allister. He is building a trophy room in his new home in the North West and kisses his World Cup medal every day. If he continues these performances, the room will need more shelves.