Liverpool 2 Chelsea 1: Slot passes first big test, Jones' influence and Palmer undone

Arne Slot has led Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table and easily managed to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager at Anfield.

Six wins from seven this weekend was an impressive tally, but the start of the season still bore an asterisk: until Chelsea's visit on Sunday, Liverpool had not faced a team currently in the top nine.

While this was the Dutchman's toughest test of his qualifications since he took over – and the first real measure of whether his side are genuine title contenders – the manager and his players passed it in impressive fashion.

Mohamed Salah scored a penalty in the first half after Curtis Jones was brought down by Levi Colwill.

Liverpool briefly thought they had a second penalty after Robert Sanchez sent Jones down, but a VAR review showed the Chelsea goalkeeper got the ball first and the decision was overturned.

Chelsea started the second half strongly and again benefited from VAR when a review found Nicolas Jackson had been onside after taking advantage of a pass from Moises Caicedo and firing the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher.

But Liverpool restored the lead within three minutes when Jones appeared free in space and fired a close-range finish past Sanchez.

This result puts Liverpool one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City and four points ahead of third-placed Arsenal.

James Pearce, Simon Johnson and Mark Carey analyze the key topics of discussion.

Slot passes its toughest test yet

Slot had warned his players that they would face their toughest test of the season so far.

The visit of Chelsea, who had won all of their away games so far this season, marked the start of a run of seven games in 20 days that will test Liverpool's hopes of challenging for the biggest prizes this season.

This hard-fought victory provides the perfect foundation to build on.

Slot had clearly learned lessons from the defeat to Nottingham Forest after the international break in September, when he left out Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz after their long journey back to Merseyside following their game in South America. Mac Allister missed training on Friday after feeling unwell during the flight.

The sight of Slot desperately trying to get messages across to his players in the first half made it clear that things were anything but smooth. He was clearly not happy with the ease with which Chelsea played through their hosts at times.

But the Premier League's stingiest defensive line stood firm. When Ibrahima Konate Jackson played onside in the build-up to Chelsea's equaliser, it was a rare misstep. Despite their great possession of the ball, the visitors only had two attempts to hit the goal in the entire game.

Liverpool applied pressure at times and then countered with threats.

The sight of Diogo Jota limping will be a concern for Slot, but Darwin Nunez represented him admirably after coming off the bench.

It wasn't particularly fluid, but it was certainly grim as Slots Liverpudlians marched on.

Mohamed Salah scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

James Pearce

Jones rewards the manager's vote of confidence

What a crowning achievement for Curtis Jones to cap off such a memorable week.

The Liverpool midfielder became a father for the first time when his girlfriend Saffie gave birth to their daughter Giselle.

“It's the best feeling I've ever had,” he told the club website ahead of Sunday's game.

Jones celebrated in style as he more than justified Slot's decision to give him a start in the second division.

With his quick tackles and intelligent use of the ball, the academy graduate was the key to everything that was best about Slot's team. A cool twist to escape Caicedo's attention had the Kop purring early on.

Jones won the penalty that saw Salah put Liverpool ahead and thought he had earned a second penalty before that decision was overturned.

When Liverpool's lead was canceled out by Jackson early in the second half, it was Jones who took control and provided the immediate response.

His movement was outstanding as he shot into space and Salah picked him off with an inviting cross. Jones' first touch was difficult, but with full force he shot the ball past Sanchez, the thumb-sucking celebration a tribute to the newcomer.

Jones also made some valuable contributions defensively, including a crucial block on Palmer, and he received a standing ovation when he was substituted late on.

James Pearce

Was Tosin lucky to stay on the pitch?

It wouldn't be surprising if anyone watching the game experienced a bit of déjà vu when Tosin Adarabioyo brought down Jota just inside the Chelsea half in the opening stages of the game.

The incident seemed like a repeat of what had happened the day before, when Arsenal's William Saliba was sent off for a professional foul on Evanilson during his side's 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

A defender was caught by a ball over the ceiling while pushing high into his own half and pulling the attacker to the ground. Saliba was the last man standing, although VAR then had to upgrade the challenge from yellow to red.

Tosin did pretty much the same thing in the same area of ​​the field.

Liverpool fans at Anfield, and probably many Arsenal fans listening at home, called for Tosin to be sent off.

Just like in Bournemouth, referee John Brooks only dismissed the central defender. But this time the VAR did not intervene and increased the penalty.

However, there was a key difference between the two controversial moments. While Arsenal's Ben White was a long way from Saliba and struggled to provide cover, Colwill was quite close to Tosin and the ball also flew more towards the side of the pitch than directly at Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.

This will not reassure Arsenal fans as they will see this as another example of the inconsistency among referees in the Premier League.

Was Tosin lucky that he didn't see any red here? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/6DHRQufs1L

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 20, 2024

Simon Johnson

Why did Liverpool look vulnerable on the left?

Any team that faces Chelsea will know that keeping Cole Palmer quiet will go a long way towards stopping Enzo Maresca's central attacking threat.

Palmer's tendency to drift into the right half-space can often create uncertainty between the opposition central midfielder and left-back as he positions himself in the space between the two.

Liverpool decided to counteract this by playing left winger Cody Gakpo narrowly out of possession to block passes into Palmer at the source – often forcing Chelsea to circulate the ball to the other side of the pitch.

This worked to an extent, with Palmer particularly quiet in the first half, but the consequence of Liverpool's lack of possession form meant there was an easy pass to Noni Madueke, who took great pleasure in running towards left-back Andy Robertson Reception in the room.

As Palmer advanced further into the half-space, Jones occasionally followed him into wide areas, creating gaps in Liverpool's midfield and allowing Chelsea to pass the ball through central spaces as they worked it forward.

Liverpool might have been leading at half-time, but Slot was clearly unhappy with how easily Chelsea played through his team at times, as he tried to convey instructions to his players in the first half.

Palmer may have been kept quiet in his actions on the ball, but the 22-year-old's overall performance – coupled with Maresca's tactics – created uncertainty in Liverpool's form, making for an interesting battle throughout.

Mark Carey

James shows signs of rust in surprise start

There was a bit of a surprise before kick-off when the teams were announced and Reece James' name was in Chelsea's eleven.

The club captain last started a game ten months ago, also on Merseyside, when he limped off the pitch against Everton. Since then, the 24-year-old has struggled with a hamstring injury, a problem that has hampered his career in recent years, and he collapsed again with the problem in pre-season.

He has worked so hard on his recovery in recent weeks that Maresca has considered making the home game against Nottingham Forest the venue for his latest comeback.

That would certainly have been an easier environment than Anfield in which to make his first appearance of the season, even if he had just come off the bench. Using him from the start in such a big game seemed like a bit of a risk.

For most of the first half it seemed like that was going to pay off. James won most of his duels with Gakpo. A stupid and calm pass from behind got the away team cheering.

But it was inevitable that there would be some signs of rust and his one major mistake proved very costly.

Chelsea were still going strong after Jackson's 48th-minute equalizer, but Liverpool took the lead back three minutes later when Salah met a cross to a completely unmarked Jones.

At first it was a mystery how he had managed to find so much space, but replays showed that James, who was covering that side of the penalty area, had rushed out in a poor attempt to have Liverpool offside.

Playing successfully from the offside line requires communication and great understanding with your teammates. Can it shock anyone that James was completely wrong given the length of his absence? Working in education is not the same.

Some of his fellow defenders arguably struggled more than James at the back, but tellingly he was one of three players substituted before half-time.

Simon Johnson

What's next for Liverpool?

Wednesday, October 23rd: RB Leipzig (H), Champions League, 8:00 p.m. UK, 3:00 p.m. ET

What's next for Chelsea?

Thursday, October 24th: Panathinaikos (A), Conference League, 5:45 p.m. UK, 12:45 p.m. ET

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(Top photo: Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)