diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-cell.gjs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-cell.gjs
index 02ed62475a2..f0f8b067a58 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-cell.gjs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-cell.gjs
@@ -40,12 +40,12 @@ export default class TopicCell extends Component {
 
   @action
   onTitleFocus(event) {
-    event.target.classList.add("selected");
+    event.target.closest(".topic-list-item").classList.add("selected");
   }
 
   @action
   onTitleBlur(event) {
-    event.target.classList.remove("selected");
+    event.target.closest(".topic-list-item").classList.remove("selected");
   }
 
   <template>
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-list-item.gjs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-list-item.gjs
index c140ca2d685..ffad6d1a35a 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-list-item.gjs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/topic-list/topic-list-item.gjs
@@ -93,6 +93,16 @@ export default class TopicListItem extends Component {
     element.classList.add("highlighted");
   }
 
+  @action
+  onTitleFocus(event) {
+    event.target.closest(".topic-list-item").classList.add("selected");
+  }
+
+  @action
+  onTitleBlur(event) {
+    event.target.closest(".topic-list-item").classList.remove("selected");
+  }
+
   @action
   applyTitleDecorators(element) {
     const rawTopicLink = element.querySelector(".raw-topic-link");