There’s been a bit of talk about Liverpool’s fine start to the 2024/25 season under their new manager, and doubts about their true ability to compete at the top of the table as a result of what many perceived as easier schedule early in the campaign than those of their rivals. The only so-called “big six” team they had faced before taking on Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday was Manchester United, and though they smashed Erik ten Hag’s side 0-3 at Old Trafford, United are hardly seen as tough opposition these days.
But with Chelsea showing excellent form in recent matches, this was supposed to be the game which would show a bit more clearly where either side is at the moment, and thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty and a deft finish by Curtis Jones, Liverpool were victorious, despite Nicolas Jackson producing a fine finish of his own for Chelsea.
The teams
Top teams usually have large numbers of players absent for international breaks, and it’s no wonder that both managers chose to make a few changes to their starting lineups.
Alisson Becker was unavailable through injury for Liverpool, and Caoimhin Kelleher was called upon to stand between the posts. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate paired up in the heart of defence, flanked by Andy Robertson on the left and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right. Ryan Gravenberch played his usual role deep in midfield, partnered this time by Jones, with Alexis Mac Allister left on the bench. Dominik Szoboszlai was deployed further up, behind the attacking trio of Salah, Diogo Jota, and Cody Gakpo who started ahead of Luis Diaz on the left.
As for Chelsea, Robert Sanchez was in goal, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill as the centre-back pairing, Reece James on the right and Malo Gusto on the left. Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia anchored the midfield, with Cole Palmer between wingers Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho, as Jackson led the line up front.
The game
Chelsea entered the contest as the better team. They pressed high and made it very difficult for Liverpool to play out from the back through passing, they won possession with relative ease and kept the game under their control for a long while. But they didn’t create any clear-cut chances, and everything good they had done in the opening third of the match fell to nothing when Colwill swept the legs under Jones in Chelsea’s box and referee John Brooks pointed to the spot. Salah stepped up and converted in the 29th minute against his former club, changing the complexion of the game completely.
From that point on, Liverpool established domination and being ahead, they simply took advantage of Chelsea’s shock to slow the flow of the match down.
But three minutes into the second half, the Reds appeared to have become too confident as Caicedo’s line-breaking pass for Jackson caught both Van Dijk and Konate on their heals, and the Chelsea striker was able to get away, charge goalwards and score. And yet, the joy of the visiting fans was short lived as it took Liverpool another three minutes to re-establish their lead. Salah’s brilliant pass from the right and a dummy move from substitute Darwin Nunez cheated Chelsea’s offside trap, for Jones to make his run to the far post and beat Sanchez from close range.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca tried to change things on the pitch by making substitutions throughout the second half, but nothing really worked. Sancho was left in the dressing room at halftime to make way for Pedro Neto. After Jones scored Liverpool’s second goal, Enzo Fernandez, Benoit Badiashile and Renato Veiga came on for Lavia, Tosin and James, respectively, and with 15 minutes left on the clock, Madueke made way for Christopher Nkunku.
On the other hand, Arne Slot in the Liverpool dugout was forced to send Nunez in after only 30 minutes, with Jota picking up a potential injury problem. The rest of the changes were made simply to freshen up the team, with Diaz replacing Gakpo in the 66th minute, and Joe Gomez and Mac Allister coming on instead of Alexander-Arnold and Jones in the 81st.
In the end, though Chelsea had more possession and arguably showed more attacking intent – which is only natural seeing as they were behind for two thirds of the match – Liverpool probably deserved their triumph. Slot’s team showed the levels of maturity needed to control and see the game out.
Curtis Jones
There can be no doubt whatsoever about Jones being the best player on the pitch in this game. Quite apart from the obvious – he was the one who earned Liverpool their penalty and scored the winning goal himself – the 22-year-old was impeccable in every aspect of the game.
Jones was given the unenviable task of staying close to Cole Palmer, and he kept the player who’s been the talk of the football circles in England for a while very quiet. He popped up wherever needed, all over the pitch, making tackles and blocks, winning the ball and not losing it once from the first whistle to the moment he was replaced after 80 minutes.
Throughout the summer, Liverpool’s midfield section was discussed far and wide in terms of an apparent lack of depth. The club’s failed attempt to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad is a testimony that even within the club they are aware of the potential problems in that area.
But while Slot still may not have a suitable alternative for Gravenberch, Wataru Endo being the only one, Jones has shown he can do the job of Mac Allister very well.
Table rankings
Following Brighton’s win over Newcastle and Aston Villa’s over Fulham, Chelsea have dropped to sixth place in the Premier League table, with 14 points from eight matches. They will, however, take comfort in the fact that they’ve only lost to the top two teams in the league so far, as well as in the fact that they look much better as a team under Maresca than they had for a long time before.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have kept the top spot for themselves for the time being, with seven wins and one loss earning them a tally of 21 points.
Tough challenges await both teams in the next round, following their European commitments. Liverpool face RB Leipzig in Germany in midweek, before traveling to London to play Arsenal at the Emirates. Chelsea will go to Greece for their Europa Conference League clash with Panathinaikos, and then they travel to Newcastle.
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