Mohamed Salah's penalty earned Liverpool a gritty 1-0 win at Brighton that moved them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League
Having lost their previous two matches in 2019, the Reds were frustrated in a tight first half at the Amex Stadium
However, Salah scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 50th minute after he was clumsily fouled by Pascal Gross
Brighton did not manage a shot on target and Liverpool will now wait and see if title-rivals Tottenham and Manchester City can close the gap when they play live on  on Sunday and Monday respectively
Jurgen Klopp had said before the match that Liverpool's situation remained "very positive" even though they had suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season
And even though it took them a while to break down Brighton, a third straight defeat never looked on the cards
The Premier League leaders soon asserted control of the game as Roberto Firmino slid and poked wide from Andy Robertson's low cross in the ninth minute before Xherdan Shaqiri flicked a header wide after a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played despite suffering a slight injury in the warm-ups
Fabinho, playing at centre-back, was hardly tested, aside from a header that Glenn Murray nodded over the bar
It was a similar story in the second half, albeit Brighton were chasing the game after Gross clumsily fouled Salah in the box and the Premier League's joint-top scorer fired the penalty past David Button
Brighton occasionally threatened on the break but Fabinho blocked a shot from Gross in the box and Alisson tipped away a shot from Jurgen Locadia
Otherwise Liverpool remained in control until the final whistle, even though Salah spurned a fantastic chance to make it 2-0 when he shot wide from eight yards out in the 88th minute
"There's no intent and referees have a hard job, but sometimes you feel things go your way and sometimes you feel some of the decisions don't go your way
 I felt today it was one of those days
 No malice or anything towards the referee but I thought the bulk of decisions favoured Liverpool today
" "I thought it was an unbelievable mature performance from my side, I really like that because it's really a new skill and we have to keep that
 It's not opera football but it's still a really nice song
"Asked to play as a makeshift centre-back for the second game in a row due to injuries, Fabinho did not disappoint
 He was strong in the air, made a couple of crucial blocks and looked composed in possession
Brighton travel to Manchester United next Saturday before hosting West Brom in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, January 26
 Liverpool are at Anfield for their next two Premier League matches as they host Crystal Palace on Saturday, January 19 and then Leicester on Wednesday, January 30
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