Isak Starts Repaying Liverpool's Faith With Goals

Alexander Isak's Liverpool career has been a story of waiting, and on Anfield's grass the wait looked worth it. The Swedish striker scored his sixth Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0, the latest step in a run that has seen the club win four straight under head coach Andoni Iraola.

The Reds were already ahead thanks to an own goal from Brighton's Pascal Gross when Isak doubled the lead. Bradley Barcola swung in a cross from the flank, and Isak was waiting inside the box to finish. It was the kind of sharp, decisive contribution that has been missing in the earlier months of his spell on Merseyside, when questions about whether he could justify his price tag were never far away.

Iraola was quick to praise the striker afterwards, saying Isak looked back to his best and had extended a hot streak that is starting to show in the scoreboard. The manager's comments suggest the coaching staff have been working to fit the forward into a system that gives him better chances, and his movement in the box on Saturday showed the benefit.

For Liverpool, the result is about more than three points. A side that spent the early part of the season searching for consistency now has momentum, and a forward who was supposed to be a major upgrade is beginning to deliver on that promise. Supporters who backed the club's patience through a slow start will feel vindicated, and the pressure now shifts to whether Isak can keep the goals coming over the rest of the campaign.