Liverpool vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League score and reaction as Curtis Jones sends Reds back to top

When Arne Slot described Chelsea as potential champions, the question arose as to whether they could compete with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. It soon became apparent that they couldn’t keep up with the Joneses.

Or at least not Curtis Jones. The winning goal isn’t always scored by the best player on the pitch, but in a game that could define two clubs’ seasons, this game was it. Jones’ extraordinary dynamism took Liverpool back to the top of the table. It meant Chelsea, who had already beaten Manchester City, failed their two biggest tests of the season so far. Liverpool, now seven points ahead of them, have had their toughest game.

They did so thanks to some very different accusations against Chelsea’s transfer business. You can blame Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital a lot, but it was a previous Chelsea regime that let Mohamed Salah go. With a goal and an assist, he gave them additional reason to regret a past mistake. If Jones is exactly the kind of player today’s Chelsea would sell, Liverpool don’t need to miss out on homegrown talent for pure profit reasons. Jones came to them at nine. At the age of 23, he had one of his best afternoons in a red shirt.

Game one is out of the way…

The best start to a reign by a Liverpool manager is just a beginning. Arne Slot has found ways to deflect the compliments his direct influence at Anfield brought him. He pointed to the reality that the medal collections of some of his predecessors were so impressive that they need not be judged by their first 10 games or their status as league leaders at the start of the season. He cited the relatively good schedule: Liverpool played against the teams currently in 17th, 11th, 14th, 10th, 13th, 20th and 18th place. Their Carabao Cup victory came against the 12th-placed club. Their Champions League victories came against teams in sixth and 13th place in Serie A.

And now it’s getting more difficult. Liverpool’s next month is a barometer of their prospects, a test of whether they are title challengers, potential Champions League winners and capable of retaining the Carabao Cup that was Jurgen Klopp’s last trophy. It’s Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton, Brighton again, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, a seven-game stretch that could derail Liverpool’s ambitions or serve as a springboard for a challenge on multiple fronts.

For Slot it is like a voyage of discovery. Have his first ten games given him a clear idea of ​​what Liverpool can achieve or is he still trying to figure it out himself?

Liverpool’s next game is in the Champions League when they travel to Germany to face RB Leipzig on Wednesday. They then travel to London for an important top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal on Sunday 27 October at 4.30pm.

Chelsea travel to Greece in midweek to face Panathinaikos before hosting Newcastle on Sunday at 2pm.

Despite his criticism of Sanchez, Carragher is full of praise for Chelsea as a whole.

“I thought Chelsea were excellent,” he says.

“When managers compete, they try to do something different to overcome the competition.

“They caused problems for Liverpool. In terms of controlling the game, Chelsea were better, but what let them down was the goalkeeper.

“Chelsea didn’t do enough to create chances in the second half.

“Liverpool held on at times and they held on to get to the final whistle,” he added.

From Chelsea’s perspective, the experts are unsure what role Sanchez played in conceding the second goal.

“From Chelsea’s point of view it’s so bad [of view]. Reece James strolls in there,” says Carragher.

“The goalkeeper is so bad. It was really a poor performance from Curtis Jones, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s performance is also poor.

“Sanchez has to go and win the ball.

“Jones should be afraid of a goalkeeper coming towards him. You have to get there and hope it hits you in the face and you keep it out.

“Chelsea need a new goalkeeper if they want to get back to where they want to be,” he added.

There’s plenty more of Carragher, Richards and Sturridge on TV.

The first notable comments concern Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who Sturridge is keen to defend.

“Nicolas Jackson is central to the system,” he says.

“He’s good at going to the false nine position. It was a fantastic finish, the calm in front of the goal.

“I analyze him in open play. I don’t analyze him based on stats, I don’t think he’s devastating in front of goal, but I think he has what it takes to get there.

“When you’re in the spotlight at a top club, you’re judged on players like Drogba, Anelka and Crespo – you’re judged in comparison to these world-class strikers.

“I think we were a little too critical,” he adds.

Enzo Maresca will speak to Sky next. He says that Chelsea “don’t like losing or dropping points, but I really liked the performance.”

“We deserved a little more, but the performance was good.

“We controlled most of the game. We had chances, we had possession of the ball. We don’t like losing, but if we have to choose, this is the way to go. The team was courageous on and off the ball.

“I don’t think this game defines where we are. We prepared very well and it worked out quite well. You have to take advantage of opportunities, but overall I’m very happy with the players.”

Regarding the refereeing decisions, he added: “I didn’t see anything from the referee’s decisions. The only thing I can see in this stadium is the noise of the crowd.

“The only thing I can say is that the referee is there to make decisions. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong. Sometimes it’s the noise [of the crowd]but overall I think they did well.”

Arne Slot is understandably pleased when he speaks to Sky.

“The most important thing if you want to have a chance of winning a game like this is that you work hard and we did that,” he said.

“We created some very good chances at times and were a bit unlucky with some decisions,” he added.

“I think it could have been a decisive decision to overturn the referee’s decision [on the penalty]. When you look at it on a screen you still feel like it’s a penalty.”

He adds that in his opinion Tosin’s early last man challenge on Jota was also a red card.

“The fans helped us a lot, that probably comes from these decisions.

“Ultimately a good win against a very strong Chelsea,” he said, adding that Curtis Jones delivered a “very good individual performance.”

“Curtis had a difficult job, he had to control Cole Palmer, which is not easy. He was very important for us on both sides of the pitch.

“Anyone who watched the game knows it wasn’t easy. It’s very good for us that we’ve now gained a small lead.”

On Sky, Jamie Carragher praised Jones’ performance, calling it a “step backwards”.

“Curtis Jones was brilliant, he was outstanding,” Carragher said.

“He’s still at the stage where he doesn’t know for sure whether he’s first choice when you have Gravenberch and Mac Allister.

“But what an achievement it was when you consider the quality on the pitch and the money that was spent. So that a local becomes the player of the game.

“I wonder if Arne Slot will play for Zubimendi again in January, but when you see how he played today you think ‘no’.

“He has to do it consistently now.”