Grit, tenacity, game management, call it what you like but, whatever it is, Liverpool showed it in a narrow 2–1 victory over Chelsea. The Londoners though where impressive for much of a game, in which a penalty from Mo Salah and a cute close-range finish from Curtis Jones ultimately secured three points that took Liverpool to the Premier League summit.
In many ways, this 75th meeting between the two clubs this century was an odd encounter, with Liverpool seemingly happy for Chelsea to retain possession. Chelsea meanwhile, lacked any real penetration in the final third. For 20 minutes it was all quite dull, until Jones was hacked down in the box. The resulting penalty was despatched with some authority by Salah, who’s now joint fifth in Premier League history for successful strikes from the penalty spot. Before VAR overruled a second spot kick for Liverpool, Diogo Jota, injured in a collision early in the half, was replaced by Darwin Nunez. Nevertheless, they went in at half-time with a slim advantage.
Liverpool’s lack of aggression, both with and without the ball, continued into the second half. Such passivity however, soon cost them. A tight off-side decision rightly going in Chelsea’s favour, after Jackson slotted past Kelleher. Parity though was short lived, as Jones, in a man of the match performance, restored his side’s lead. A close finish from a defence-splitting pass from Salah, nestled into the back of the net in front of the Kop.
The remaining 30 minutes of the game followed a similar pattern to the first hour. Liverpool, never at their free-flowing best, just doing enough to repel a Chelsea team who will surely threaten for a top-four finish. Clear-cut chances were few and far between and neither goalkeeper was really tested. Arne Slot certainly felt that his team more than deserved the victory, but acknowledged the importance of an Anfield crowd, who certainly helped their team over the line.
