Wait, I must not use HTML. Let me correct. A win with a taste of anxiety: Liverpool emerge from the Brighton clash with a painful blow

What happened?

Florian Wirtz endured a frustrating evening against Brighton. Liverpool's Germany midfielder was denied a Premier League goal before limping off injured in the second half of a match that finished 2-0 to the Reds.

German newspaper "Bild" reported that Wirtz thought he had scored his first league goal of the season in the 17th minute, lashing home a powerful strike after a poor clearance. Officials instead credited the goal as an own goal to Brighton's Pascal Gross, whose touch altered the path of a ball that looked likely to drift wide had he not got in the way.

His misery didn't end there. Wirtz picked up an injury in the 59th minute after a challenge on Ayari outside the penalty area, appearing to suffer a sprain to his right ankle.

Treatment bought him only a few more minutes. Unable to carry on, he was replaced by Andoni Iraola in the 65th minute.

Wirtz had rediscovered part of his form of late, scoring in the thrilling 4-3 midweek win over Villarreal in the Champions League and raising hopes that he could keep shining in a Liverpool shirt. The Brighton clash, on a personal level, delivered a disappointing finish.

Brighton, meanwhile, paid the price for wasting their chances. Ayari was the chief culprit, squandering several dangerous openings, including one that flashed past the goal and another that cannoned off the post. Liverpool punished those errors and doubled their lead through Alexander Isak in the 21st minute, pouncing on a rebound after a defensive mistake.

The win hands Liverpool three crucial points and cuts the gap on Brighton to a single point in the standings. Wirtz's fitness remains a worry, with the severity of the injury and his return date still unclear.