Diaz bravery helps Liverpool close in on leaders Manchester City

The joy and the pain came together for Luis Diaz. Bruised but brilliant, he ensured Brighton were beaten. For Liverpool, it was comfortable progress. An eighth straight win halved their deficit to Manchester City to three points. The title race remains very much on.

A January signing has given Jurgen Klopp’s side added impetus and even on the day when Mohamed Salah reached 20 goals in a Premier League season for a fourth time, in turn taking Liverpool to 2,000 in the competition, the Colombian was their courageous catalyst.

Robert Sanchez smashed into Diaz as he scored his second Liverpool goal. Once he had picked himself off the turf, he resumed his work of tormenting Brighton. His combination of pace, directness and ferocious work ethic underlined the sense he is a natural fit for Klopp’s brand of football. “He was unplayable at times,” said Andy Robertson.

Diaz’s goal combined the admirable with the reprehensible. Fresh from winning the Premier League’s player-of-the-month award for February, Joel Matip staked an early case to retain the award. He curled a pass over the Brighton defence in the manner of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Diaz timed his run perfectly and displayed the bravery to head the ball in as he was clattered. “It is what a striker has to do and he did really well,” Klopp said. “He is the only person who knows exactly how quick he is. To get in there with the head is brave.”

But it was reckless, dangerous and hideous from Sanchez, amounting to an unwanted impression of Toni Schumacher’s infamous challenge in the 1982 World Cup; somehow the officials did not deem it a red card. His manager provided the case for the defence. “I think it was an accidental one; the quality of the pass and the run has been too