Luis Diaz continued the fine start to his Liverpool career as he raced on to Joel Matip's superb pass and headed past the onrushing Robert Sanchez after 19 minutes. The Brighton goalkeeper was fortunate not to receive any punishment as he clattered into the Colombian forward, whose celebrations were put on hold as he received treatment following the high challenge. Mohamed Salah sealed the three points with a second-half penalty awarded after a handball by Yves Bissouma - with the Egypt forward's 20th strike of the campaign bringing up Liverpool's 2,000th Premier League goal. It is a fifth successive defeat for Brighton, for whom Danny Welbeck went closest to scoring with two minutes remaining but Alisson produced a fine save to avoid any late complications. Liverpool's victory maintains the pressure on title rivals Manchester City, who travel to Crystal Palace on Monday (20:00 GMT). Reaction from Brighton v Liverpool plus more live Premier League coverage Go straight to all the best Brighton & Hove Albion content Visit our Liverpool page Diaz helps Liverpool maintain title push Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called for a response from his players at Amex Stadium, after they advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals despite defeat by Inter Milan on Tuesday, ending a 12-match winning run in all competitions. They were initially made to work hard in this latest league win, which leaves them in striking range of City with 10 games remaining for both clubs. The Reds asserted themselves after a threatening opening 10 minutes from the hosts, though they will feel their task could have been made easier as Sanchez escaped even a booking for his collision with Diaz. Influential January addition Diaz once again impressed with driving runs and relentless pressing, his second goal for the club a just reward for his efforts - and bravery. Salah, whose future at the club was once again a hot topic this week, was also denied at close range in the first half and hit the post in the second, before being withdrawn due to injury after 65 minutes. But the 29-year-old's confidently despatched spot-kick - his 28th goal in all competitions this term - provided breathing space as Brighton produced an albeit fruitless late surge. A promising season is threatening to unravel for Graham Potter's side, who have now scored once in six games during a dismal run which has seen their hopes of a top-half finish begin to fade. While Brighton's fightback from two goals down to secure a point at Anfield in October could yet prove a crucial detail in an enthralling title race, there were ultimately no such problems on Saturday for quadruple-chasing Liverpool. Klopp will await City's response on Monday, with only Arsenal and Watford to come for his side in the league before a meeting with their title rival at Etihad Stadium on 10 April

 

Raine Group temporarily halted the sale process on Thursday while answers were sought from the government about the implications of the sanctions.

The government is open to considering an addition to the special licence it granted the club that would allow a sale to go ahead.

A condition for that to happen, however, would be that Abramovich - one of Russia's richest people and believed to be close to the country's president, Vladimir Putin - receives none of the proceeds.

The special licence granted by the government will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket-holders to attend matches.

Chelsea, however, cannot receive money for match tickets which have not already been sold, future gate receipts for FA Cup games or money from merchandise sold via the club shop.

The European champions will also be unable to buy or sell players, or offer new contracts, while the sanctions are in place on Abramovich and he still owns the club.

An amendment to the licence has been granted by the government, allowing Chelsea to spend up to £900,000 on costs for home games, up from the £500,000 set on Thursday.

The allowable away costs of travel, however, remain at £20,000 per game.

A statement from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee confirming the changes to the licence also welcomed the league's move to disqualify Abramovich as a club director.

"The government has made clear that we need to hold to account those who have enabled the Putin regime," the DCMS statement said.

Analysis

Simon Stone, BBC Sport football reporter

The unravelling of Roman Abramovich's time as Chelsea owner is happening at rapid pace.

It is only 28 days since Abramovich celebrated on the pitch with manager Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea became world club champions.

Now, the club is up for sale and Abramovich is becoming a non-person within the Premier League.

He wasn't involved in the sale of the club even before this latest development but it does underline the need for a deal to be done pretty quickly.

The name of the man who changed Chelsea's fortunes may still be revered by some of the club's supporters but it is clear his association with Vladimir Putin is creating serious issues at Stamford Bridge.

A sale cannot come soon enough.