Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea: Jones strikes Anfield winner for Slot´s Reds

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table as Curtis Jones hit the winner in an entertaining 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Anfield.

Having been knocked off the summit by Manchester City’s last-gasp victory at Wolves earlier on Sunday, Liverpool responded by passing arguably their sternest test under Arne Slot.

Mohamed Salah’s 29th-minute penalty broke the deadlock after Levi Colwill fouled Jones, just moments after the defender had survived an appeal for felling the the Egyptian.

Jones thought he had won a second penalty on the stroke of half-time following a challenge from Robert Sanchez, but a VAR review led referee John Brooks to overturn his initial decision to penalise the goalkeeper.

Another VAR intervention went Chelsea’s way as they levelled three minutes into the second half. Nicolas Jackson was ruled offside when latching onto Moises Caicedo’s throughball to slot home, but that decision was overturned as replays showed Ibrahima Konate played him on.

However, it was the impressive duo of Salah and Jones that combined for the decisive goal soon afterwards, the latter scoring on the stretch in front of the Kop.

The victory re-establishes Liverpool’s one-point lead over City, while they are four clear of their next opponents Arsenal. Chelsea stay sixth, three points off the top four.

34 – Mohamed Salah has scored and assisted in 34 Premier League matches, with only Wayne Rooney doing so in more games in Premier League history (36). King. pic.twitter.com/oZq6qqeu37

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 20, 2024

Data Debrief: Salah haunts Chelsea again

It is fair to say Salah has enjoyed coming up against Chelsea since returning to the Premier League in 2017, having been let go by the Blues one year earlier.

He has now scored five goals against Chelsea in the Premier League; the joint-most by a player to have previously appeared for them in the competition, along with Kevin De Bruyne (five).

It was his enticing cross that led to Jones’ 51st-minute winner, too, and he has both scored and assisted in 34 different matches in the Premier League; the second-most of any player in the competition’s history, only behind Wayne Rooney (36).

Only Pep Guardiola (who won his first 10), meanwhile, has reached 10 wins in all competitions as a Premier League manager in fewer matches than Slot, who has won 10 of his first 11 as Reds boss.