Arne Slot’s Liverpool made it seven consecutive wins in all competitions, defeating Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield to reclaim their place at the top of the Premier League.
The game started slowly, with both sides feeling each other out. There was an early incident involving Tosin Adarabioyo, in which the centre-back tangled with Diogo Jota to earn himself a yellow card.
However, the contest burst into life after 20 minutes, with Noni Madueke almost creating the game’s opener as he picked out Cole Palmer, who was crowded out in the box before Liverpool raced down the other end where Mohamed Salah appealed for a penalty.
Minimal contact from Levi Colwill meant the Egyptian didn’t get his way, but just moments later, Curtis Jones was upended in the area by an attempted clearance from the same man, allowing Salah to emphatically dispatch from the spot.
The Reds were posing a significant threat in transition, nearly doubling their lead when an offside Salah found Cody Gakpo sliding in at the back post. As halftime approached, yet another penalty claim in Liverpool’s favour arrived as Jones was clattered by Robert Sánchez, but thankfully for Chelsea, a VAR review confirmed the goalkeeper made first contact with the ball.
Liverpool kicked off the second half knowing that they had not lost any of their previous 146 home league games in which they were ahead at the break. Yet four minutes into the half, that record looked far from secure as Nicolas Jackson burst through the Reds’ backline to slot past Caoimhin Kelleher, and send the away crowd wild. Parity lasted for just three minutes though, with Salah’s delightful cross finding Jones, who timed his run to perfection before poking past Sanchez.
