BRIGHTON, United Kingdom: Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to three points as Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah sealed a 2-0 win against Brighton on Saturday.
Diaz opened the scoring in the first half and Salah netted with a penalty after the interval at the Amex Stadium.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have won their last eight league games, keeping the pressure on City, with the champions playing at Crystal Palace on Monday.
While City are in fine form, Liverpool’s hot streak is equally impressive.
The Reds have scored 21 goals and conceded just twice in their winning run, while also keeping a third successive league clean sheet for the first time this term.
When Salah converted from the spot, it made Liverpool only the second club to score 2,000 goals in the Premier League, emulating Manchester United.
Salah has reached 20 goals in a Premier League season for the fourth time, with his latest strike coming at just the right time amid his tense contract negotiations.
Klopp said on Friday it is up to Salah whether he signs a new deal, a claim that was followed by the Egypt forward’s agent tweeting a series of laughing emojis just minutes later.
Salah’s current deal runs until the end of next season and he has previously said his future is in Liverpool’s hands and he is not asking for “crazy stuff.”
His long-term value to Liverpool is immense, but of more immediate concern to Klopp will be the knock that saw him replaced by Diogo Jota soon after his first goal in four games.
With a testing trip to Arsenal looming on Wednesday followed by an FA Cup quarter-final at Nottingham Forst, Klopp will hope his star makes a quick recovery.
Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented quadruple, suffered only their third defeat this season against Inter Milan in the Champions League last-16 second leg in midweek.
But Klopp insisted his players are such bad losers that they were certain to mount an immediate response to the Inter loss, which didn’t stop them progressing to the quarter-finals on aggregate in any case.
The German’s assessment proved correct, after a lively Brighton start that saw Neal Maupay drill his strike just wide and Leandro Trossard curl his shot straight at Alisson Becker.
Liverpool responded emphatically and Salah picked out Sadio Mane, whose close-range effort was pushed away by Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Klopp’s team took the lead in the 19th minute when Diaz sprinted onto Joel Matip’s perfectly-weighted pass and bravely headed into the empty net as Sanchez rushed off his line, pole-axing the Colombian with a dangerous high challenge in the process.
Diaz was unable to celebrate as he was writhing on the turf after being caught in the chest by Sanchez’s leg, but the keeper surprisingly escaped a red card following a VAR check.
Diaz’s second goal since signing from Porto in January was almost followed by one for Salah, whose incisive burst ended with a low drive that forced Sanchez to save at his near post.
Trossard shot wastefully over from Maupay’s defense-splitting pass soon after the interval.
Salah almost made him pay for that miss with a deflected effort that looped onto the crossbar.
Liverpool’s luck was out on that occasion but they doubled their lead in the 61st minute.
Naby Keita’s shot was blocked by Yves Bissouma’s arm, conceding a penalty that Salah drove past Sanchez with ease to keep the title race bubbling nicely.
Liverpool sink Brighton to move within three points of Man City
https://arab.news/mdkd9
Liverpool sink Brighton to move within three points of Man City
- Diaz opened the scoring in the first half and Salah netted with a penalty after the interval at the Amex Stadium
- Jurgen Klopp's side have won their last eight league games, keeping the pressure on City
Al-Rajhi leads strong Saudi contingent for Dakar Rally 2026
- The event returns to the Kingdom for the 7th year in row from Jan. 3 to 17, featuring more than 800 competitors from 69 countries in 433 vehicles
- Though the local spotlight will be on defending champ Yazeed Al-Rajhi and established stars Dania Akeel and Yasser Seaidan, there is plenty of emerging Saudi talent to watch as well
JEDDAH: As the Dakar Rally returns for a seventh year to Saudi Arabia next week, what began in 2020 with a handful of local entrants from the host country among the international stars has evolved into a confident and sizable national presence at one of the toughest events in motor sports.
Saudis are set to play a central role as the competitors cruise through the country from Jan. 3 to 17, with no fewer than 25 drivers and co-drivers from the Kingdom taking part this year, including 10 graduates of the Saudi Next Gen program.
Much of the spotlight inevitably will fall on defending champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi, and established competitors such as Dania Akeel and Yasser Seaidan, but they are joined by an impressive roster of emerging talent.
Established Saudi stars
The Saudi contingent is led by Al-Rajhi, who returns for his 12th Dakar as the reigning champion after a landmark victory 12 months ago. Other successes at major international rally-raid events — including wins at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Rallye du Maroc and Desafio Ruta 40 — have firmly established his place among the elite in the “Ultimate” category.
“Winning the 2025 Dakar Rally was only the beginning,” Al-Rajhi said. “I am preparing for Dakar 2026 with full determination and focus. I will fight stage-by-stage. The car is ready, the team is ready and the ambition has no limits.”
In the “Challenger” category, Akeel continues to set the benchmark ahead of her fifth Dakar. She has earned a reputation for consistency, highlighted by an eighth-place T3 finish at Dakar 2022, and the FIA T3 Baja World Cup title in 2021.
Partnering once again with navigator Sebastien Delaunay, Akeel will compete in the Taurus by BBR Motorsport as she targets a podium finish.
Strength and depth across categories
Beyond the headline names, the Saudi presence at Dakar is underpinned by a selection of other experienced competitors. Yasir Seaidan is lining up for his ninth Dakar, after finishing third in the SSV category at the event in 2024 and securing the World Rally-Raid Championship SSV title the same year.
Saleh Al-Saif adds further depth to the SSV class, with six Dakar appearances under his belt, including a sixth-place finish in 2024, along with two Jordan Baja victories.
The Saudi representation extends to other categories. Tariq Al-Rammah will compete in the T5.2 Truck class for the fifth time, while Ibrahim Al-Muhanna will make his seventh Dakar appearance in the Classic Truck category, following a third-place Stock finish in 2024.
Ahmed Al-Jaber, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Badr Al-Hamdan will represent the Kingdom in the motorcycle category.
The next generation
A defining feature of Dakar 2026 is likely to be the emergence of fresh talent from structured national pathways of development. Several graduates of the Saudi Next Gen program, for example, will make their Dakar debuts, reflecting the Kingdom’s growing focus on long-term development of talent.
Hamza Bakhashab lines up at the event after a standout season that included victories at the 2025 Saudi Baja – Hail and the Jordan Baja, a debut at WRC Rally Saudi Arabia 2025, and the Saudi Next Gen 2025 title.
Abdullah Al-Shegawi will also make his Dakar debut, as the second selection through the Saudi Next Gen program.
Khaled Al-Feraihi will make his Dakar debut in the Ultimate class, while Majed Al-Thunayan returns for a second appearance in the Stock category.
A growing motor sports ecosystem
From participation in the early years of the Dakar’s Kingdom era to recent championship successes, Saudi Arabia’s Dakar story has evolved into a sustained presence built on experience, ambition and long-term vision.
The 2026 event, the seventh Dakar Rally hosted by Saudi Arabia, will feature a prologue followed by 13 competitive stages across 14 race days, showcasing the diverse landscapes of the Kingdom.
The event will bring together more than 800 competitors of 69 nationalities in 433 vehicles. It is staged under the supervision of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Sport, and organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation in partnership with the Saudi Motorsport Company.
