Curtis Jones attacks to sink Chelsea and regain first place for Liverpool | first division

Contenders or suitors? It was a legitimate question for Liverpool after a near-perfect start under Arne Slot, albeit without serious first experience. first division proof. Chelsea provided it and Liverpool found the answers, returning to the top of the table thanks to a grueling and enthralling defeat of Enzo Maresco's emerging team.

Mohamed Salah and standout Curtis Jones claimed victory (his seventh in eight league games for Slot) either side of Nicolas Jackson's second-half equaliser. Unfortunately, VAR and referee John Brooks also featured prominently. Chelsea played with confidence but with little cutting edge. Liverpool They showed resilience, organization and penetration when necessary to strengthen their claims as potentially the biggest threat to Manchester City's dominance this season.

Liverpool's advantage changed the tone of the match after Chelsea had made a more confident and serene start. Not that they seriously bothered Caoimhín Kelleher, who replaced the injured Alisson in Liverpool's goal, during it. The visitors dominated possession, but the home team's tendency to give the ball away cheaply was not the only source of irritation for the home crowd. Brooks also livened up the atmosphere, to the point that even Slot's usual cool sideline demeanor disappeared.

There were just six minutes left on the clock when Tosin Adarabioyo tackled Diogo Jota to the ground as the pair chased a long ball from Salah into the Chelsea half. The precedent had apparently been set 24 hours earlier with William Saliba's red card for bringing down Bournemouth striker Evanilson in a similar position. Unlike the Arsenal defender, however, the Chelsea centre-back saw a yellow card and the decision was backed by VAR Michael Oliver. One difference between the two incidents, and Adarabioyo's saving grace, was that his defensive colleague, Levi Colwill, was very close and had a lot of available ground to cover.

The color of the card was not Jota's only problem. The Liverpool striker received a strong accidental blow from the powerful centre-back after the foul and spent the next 20 minutes in clear discomfort. He was finally replaced by Darwin Núñez.

Chelsea broke away again when Cody Gakpo charged against a poor clearance by Robert Sanchez, who was extremely lucky to see the ball return to his arms. But the Chelsea goalkeeper put in an unconvincing performance. Sánchez's sloppy distribution and indecision caused problems for his own team throughout. Jones would punish both defects.

With the influential Alexis Mac Allister on the bench following his international commitment, as well as a recent muscle problem, Jones made just his second league start of the season in Liverpool's midfield. He did more than simply seize the opportunity and minimize the impact of Mac Allister's absence. He orchestrated Liverpool's victory.

A two-minute period midway through the first half summed up the midfielder's emphatic contribution. First, Jones produced a superb block while on the ground to prevent Cole Palmer from converting Noni Madueke's cross after the Chelsea winger once again beat Andy Robertson on the byline. Seconds later, with Slot and Anfield furious at Brooks' refusal to award Salah a penalty following a touch from Colwill, Jones appeared in the opposition area to collect Salah's deflected cross. Colwill clearly cut the 23-year-old from behind as he prepared to shoot and this time Brooks didn't hesitate to point out the spot. Salah took the penalty convincingly. Slot allowed himself to raise his fist a little.

Jones almost scored a second goal for a Liverpool team that played with greater energy and intent after taking the lead. He did it brilliantly to dispossess Moisés Caicedo and give Salah a low cross that Gakpo converted at the far post. An offside flag against Salah curtailed those celebrations. In first-half stoppage time, Jones took advantage of Núñez's pass to split the defense. Sánchez came out to meet him and brought down the midfielder, who received a warning for protesting the penalty that followed. However, both the penalty and yellow card were overturned after Brooks was advised to check the pitch-side monitor and discovered that Sánchez had touched the ball.

Liverpool's frustrations with VAR increased minutes after the restart. Jackson, taking advantage of a good pass from Caicedo, beat Kelleher with a low shot that was immediately ruled out for offside. But an extensive review found that the Chelsea striker had been held down by the toes of Ibrahima Konaté, prompting a mass sprint towards the end by those in blue when the equalizer was finally awarded. Their joy lasted less than three minutes.

Salah dissected the entire Chelsea defense with an exquisite cross from the left. Adarabioyo, Colwill and Sánchez were trapped in a frozen image. By the time they reacted, it was too late. Jones, fittingly, darted into space to beat Sanchez with a close-range shot. It was his first Premier League goal since New Year's Day and would prove decisive, although Palmer and substitute Christopher Nkunku missed good chances as Chelsea pushed for a second equalizer later on.