Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday, passing a significant test of their Premier League title credentials and rising back to the top of the standings.
The Reds have won 10 of their last 11 games since Arne Slot assumed the manager’s role, thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones.
Chelsea’s lead was momentarily restored by Nicolas Jackson in the second half, but they lost their first league game since falling to Manchester City on the first weekend of the campaign.
With a win, Liverpool moves up to one point above City and four ahead of Arsenal, who they play at the Emirates the following weekend.
Although Chelsea dropped to sixth place and is now seven points off the top, there was plenty for the Blues to be optimistic about after a performance that tested Liverpool’s limits.
After the international break in September, Nottingham Forest was the opponent of Liverpool’s lone loss under Slot.
In response, the Dutchman rested all three of his South American internationals, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Alexis Mac Allister, on the bench due to their recent transatlantic exertions.
The choice to give Jones only his second league start of the year proved to be wise since the England international scored the game-winning goal and won Liverpool’s penalty.
When Tosin Adarabioyo brought down Diogo Jota after just six minutes, Chelsea was lucky to still have 11 men on the pitch.
Although the Portugal international was still far from the goal, the scenario was much the same as the one that resulted in the dismissal of Arsenal defender William Saliba during the team’s 2-0 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday.
After surviving that scare, Chelsea found their rhythm and used their superior possession to force the home team back.
However, Salah’s feed to Jones, who was cut down by Levi Colwill, caught Chelsea off guard as Liverpool’s speed on the break remained a persistent danger.
The ensuing penalty saw Salah smash home his tenth goal against his old team.
