Contenders or pretenders? It was a legitimate question to ask of Liverpool following an almost flawless start to life under Arne Slot, albeit one lacking a first serious Premier League test. Chelsea provided it and Liverpool found the answers, returning to the top of the table courtesy of a gruelling, engrossing defeat of Enzo Maresco’s emerging team.
Mohamed Salah and the outstanding Curtis Jones delivered victory – a seventh in eight league games under Slot – either side of Nicolas Jackson’s second-half equaliser. VAR and the referee, John Brooks, also featured prominently, unfortunately. Chelsea played with confidence but little cutting edge. Liverpool showed the resilience, organisation and penetration when it mattered to strengthen their claims as potentially the biggest threat to Manchester City’s dominance this season.
Liverpool’s lead changed the complexion of the contest after Chelsea had made the more confident, composed start. Not that they seriously troubled Caoimhín Kelleher, deputising for the injured Alisson in the Liverpool goal, during it. The visitors dominated possession but the hosts’ tendency to give the ball away cheaply in contrast was not the only source of the home crowd’s irritation. Brooks also whipped up the atmosphere, to the extent that even Slot’s usual cool touchline demeanour disappeared.
There were only six minutes on the clock when Diogo Jota was hauled to the ground by Tosin Adarabioyo as the pair pursued Salah’s long ball into the Chelsea half. Precedent had been seemingly set 24 hours earlier with William Saliba’s red card for pulling down Bournemouth striker Evanilson in a similar position. Unlike the Arsenal defender, however, the Chelsea centre-half was shown a yellow card and the decision was backed up by VAR, Michael Oliver. One difference between the two incidents, and Adarabioyo’s saving grace, was that his defensive colleague, Levi Colwill, was in close proximity with plenty of ground available to cover.
The colour of the card was not Jota’s only problem. The Liverpool striker took a hefty, accidental blow from the powerful centre-half after the foul and spent the next 20 minutes in clear discomfort. He was eventually replaced by Darwin Núñez.
Chelsea escaped again when Cody Gakpo charged down a poor clearance by Robert Sánchez, who was fortunate in the extreme to see the ball loop back into his arms. But a thoroughly unconvincing display from the Chelsea goalkeeper was under way. Sánchez’s careless distribution and indecision caused his own team problems throughout. Jones would punish both flaws.
With the influential Alexis Mac Allister on the bench following international duty, plus a recent muscle problem, Jones made only his second league start of the season in Liverpool’s midfield. He did more than simply seize the opportunity and minimise the impact of Mac Allister’s absence. He orchestrated Liverpool’s victory.
A two-minute spell midway through the first half encapsulated the midfielder’s telling contribution. First, Jones produced a superb block while on the ground to prevent Cole Palmer converting Noni Madueke’s cross after the Chelsea winger had again beaten Andy Robertson to the by-line. Seconds later, with Slot and Anfield raging over Brooks’ refusal to award Salah a penalty following a touch from Colwill, Jones popped up in the opposition area to collect Salah’s deflected cross. The 23-year-old was clearly clipped from behind by Colwill as he shaped to shoot and this time Brooks had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Salah drilled the penalty home convincingly. Slot allowed himself a little fist pump.
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Jones almost engineered a second goal for a Liverpool team that performed with greater energy and intent after taking the lead. He did brilliantly to dispossess Moisés Caicedo and tee up Salah for a low cross that Gakpo converted at the back post. An offside flag against Salah curtailed those celebrations. In first half stoppage time Jones raced on to Núñez’s defence-splitting pass. Sánchez came out to meet him and sent the midfielder sprawling, and picked up a booking for protesting the penalty award that duly followed. Both the penalty and the yellow card were overturned, however, after Brooks was advised to check the pitch-side monitor and spotted that Sánchez had touched the ball.
Liverpool’s frustrations with VAR mounted minutes after the restart. Jackson, racing through on Caicedo’s fine pass, beat Kelleher with a low finish that was immediately disallowed for offside. But a lengthy review found the Chelsea striker had been kept on by Ibrahima Konaté’s toes, prompting a mass sprint to the away end from those in blue when the equaliser was eventually awarded. Their joy lasted less than three minutes.
Salah dissected the entire Chelsea defence with an exquisite cross from the left. Adarabioyo, Colwill and Sánchez were all caught in freeze-frame. By the time they reacted, it was too late. Jones, appropriately enough, darted into space to beat Sánchez with a close range finish. It was his first Premier League goal since New Year’s day and would prove decisive, despite Palmer and substitute Christopher Nkunku missing good chances as Chelsea pressed for a second leveller late on.
