Liverpool piled on the pressure in the Premier League title race as they moved three points clear at the top of the table with a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
The Reds were far from their free-flowing best and had to battle from behind after conceding early - but goals from Luis Diaz and Mo Salah cranked up the heat ahead of Manchester City's showdown against Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the result rather than performance although three points are all that matter at this stage of the campaign.
Liverpool were left shellshocked when they fell behind less than two minutes into the encounter. Mo Salah lost the ball cheaply and Brighton launched a swift counter-attack, which culminated in Danny Welbeck firing home with aplomb.
To their credit, the Reds made a decent response and Salah put two efforts wide of the target. But the equaliser arrived on 27 minutes when the ball was recycled back into the box from a corner. Diaz gambled as he darted across the Brighton defence and finished on the slide.
Liverpool should have taken the lead in the 32nd minute when Dominik Szoboszlai slipped in Salah but his tame effort was down the throat of Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen. Darwin Nunez then hit the post for the home side with an improvised shot when on the floor before Conor Bradley crashed a shot off target.
Klopp's side continued on the front foot in the second period, with Mac Allister's deft header going narrowly wide in the 54th minute before Nunez was thwarted by Verbruggen.
But on 65 minutes, Liverpool finally took the lead. It was that man Mac Allister - facing the club he left in the summer to move to Merseyside for £35 million - who played an inch-perfect through ball into Salah and he took one touch before curling a shot into the far corner.
The Reds thought they'd added a third in the 71st minute when Diaz squirmed a shot under Verbruggen but he was adjudged to have crept narrowly offside.
However, Brighton started to get on top as they pushed for an equaliser and Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher was forced to make a fine stop to repel a Lewis Dunk header with eight minutes remaining.
Salah had two chances that were saved in the closing stages and flashed an effort just wide of the near post in stoppage-time. It wasn't a vintage display but Liverpool showed the grit that will be required if they are to be crowned champions. Here's how we rated the Liverpool players.
1. Caoimhin Kelleher - 6
Little change with Welbeck's goal and otherwise untested in the first half. Went a long period in the second half without a shot coming his way before he made a fine save to tip Dunk's header around the post.
2. Conor Bradley - 7
Offered a constant threat down the flank in the first half but did get caught out defensively a couple of times. Not as much of a menace in the second period but still looked to join in with attacks when he could.
3. Jarell Quansah - 7
Read the play well in the first half. Similar in the second period.
4. Virgil van Dijk - 7
Could only partially clear the ball into the path of Welbeck for the opener. But did well otherwise.