Curtis Jones shined as Liverpool edged past Chelsea in a thrilling 2-1 win, putting them at the top of the Premier League, just one point ahead of Manchester City.
While Arsenal slipped up with a loss at Bournemouth, City snatched a late win against Wolves to keep the pressure on. Liverpool manager Arne Slot described this as the team’s toughest challenge yet, but the Reds rose to the occasion as they head into a challenging stretch of fixtures.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with a penalty midway through the first half, but Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson equalized shortly after the break, following a VAR check. However, it was Jones who restored Liverpool’s lead, slipping the ball past Robert Sanchez to secure the win.
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The match had plenty of drama, particularly in the first half, with several key incidents. One came just seven minutes in when Chelsea’s Tosin Adarabioyo avoided a red card for a foul on Diogo Jota. A series of penalty appeals followed, including a controversial moment where Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped on Jadon Sancho’s foot, but no penalty was awarded. Shortly after, Salah was denied a penalty after a challenge by Levi Colwill, much to his frustration. However, Chelsea’s Colwill did concede a penalty a minute later after catching Jones in the shin, allowing Liverpool to capitalize.
The first half also saw plenty of near-misses, with Cody Gakpo having a goal ruled out for offside and Jackson hitting the frame of Liverpool’s goal. While Jackson did manage to equalize early in the second half, Jones’ decisive goal, aided by some shaky goalkeeping from Sanchez, sealed Liverpool’s 10th win in 11 games. Chelsea pushed hard for a second goal but fell short, with Palmer and Renato Veiga missing key chances, leaving them sixth in the league, seven points behind leaders Liverpool.
Four First-Half Penalty Incidents at Anfield:
- Alexander-Arnold on Sancho: Not Given
Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped on Jadon Sancho’s foot, but after a VAR check, no penalty was awarded. Gary Neville, commenting for Sky Sports, said, “I don’t think it’s enough for a penalty.” - Colwill on Salah: Not Given
Mohamed Salah went down after contact from Levi Colwill, but no penalty was awarded. Former referee Mike Dean remarked, “There is some contact, but not enough for a penalty.” - Colwill on Jones: Penalty Awarded
Colwill caught Curtis Jones on the shin, resulting in a penalty. The decision was confirmed by VAR, with Dean calling it “definitely a penalty.” - Sanchez on Jones: Overturned Penalty
Robert Sanchez clattered into Jones, leading to a penalty call that was later overturned after VAR showed Sanchez got to the ball first. Dean commented, “It looks clumsy, but Sanchez plays the ball first.”
