Ronald Araujo was one of the outstanding performers for Liverpool on a very good outing for Andoni Iraola, who collected his first Premier League win at Anfield by beating Brighton
Andoni Iraola was delighted with the performance of Ronald Araujo against Brighton as the right-back starred in a fighting victory for a Liverpool side starting to find some form.
The Reds have now won four games on the spin in all competitions since being beaten by Manchester City. This was Iraola's first three points in the Premier League at Anfield, with first-half goals from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz proving enough.
At the back, though, especially in the second half when Brighton saw more of the ball, Araujo was an exceptional performer. The Uruguayan won every single duel that he competed for.
"It helps a lot," Iraola said during his post-match press conference. "I think we all enjoyed watching Ronald fighting.
"I think he's very good in the duels. Even the first goal, I think he wins two duels in a row, he arrives at the byline and after, it's not an assist, but it's worth an assist. And defensively, I think he's been really, really, really good.
"I'm happy for him because I've taken him out in the last two games, because we needed more offensive things at half time, and he has continued working with no issues, and today we needed him more. He has given a very, very good 90 minutes."
In the second half, Liverpool protected its lead. While it had less attacking threat at that stage, the match had already been won by a strong opening 45 minutes.
"I haven't seen the stats, but today we knew, because we know how they play, they know how we play," Iraola added.
"They are going to press, we are going to press, we are going to try to build up, they are going to try to build up, so sometimes we have to go more direct. They were also going a lot direct with (Diego) Gomez in the long balls.
"So, every duel there in the middle, to defend the defensive lines that are quite high, every duel you can win, you have space to go one-vs-one with your wingers, with your number nine.
"And I think, especially in the first half, we've been very good winning those duels, and we can provide good situations for our offensive players, yes."
Liverpool.com says: Araujo was excellent at the back, and his header away when the ball was on the floor typified his commitment to the cause.
He hasn't always offered that much in an attacking sense, but was heavily involved in that too during the first half, when the likes of Wirtz and Bradley Barcola ahead of him were as decisive as they need to be on a regular basis.
