Liverpool beats Chelsea to return to the summit
Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table as Curtis Jones hit the winner in an entertaining 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Anfield.
Having been knocked off the summit by Manchester City's last-gasp victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the day, Liverpool responded by passing arguably its sternest test under Arne Slot.
Mohamed Salah's 29th-minute penalty broke the deadlock after Levi Colwill fouled Jones, just moments after the defender had survived an appeal for felling the the Egyptian.
Jones thought he had won a second penalty on the stroke of half-time after a challenge from Robert Sanchez, but a VAR review led referee John Brooks to overturn his initial decision to penalise the goalkeeper.
Another VAR intervention went Chelsea's way as it levelled three minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Jackson was ruled offside when latching onto Moises Caicedo's throughball to slot home, but that decision was overturned as replays showed Ibrahima Konate played him on.
However, it was the impressive duo of Salah and Jones that combined for the decisive goal soon afterwards, the latter scoring on the stretch in front of the Kop.
The victory re-established Liverpool's one-point lead over City, while it is four clear of its next opponent Arsenal.
Chelsea stays sixth, three points off the top four.
Slot said he was pleased with the fight his side showed.
"Many other games were hard, but this might have been the hardest, maybe because of the amount of quality players they have and the structure they have. We had to fight really hard to get this one over the line," he said.
"We defended so strongly, throughout the whole team. There was incredible work rate. The game became difficult for us because there were a few decisions, in my opinion, that didn't go for us.
"The most crucial was when we thought we had the penalty before half-time. To go 2-0 [up] before half-time would make a massive difference from 1-0. Then, we conceded, but we stepped up again and scored the second.
"The better the teams you face, the more you need it [fight]. In the Premier League, there are so many good teams. If you want to win, at least you need to fight and then, hopefully, the individuals can make the difference.
"It helps if you play against a Chelsea, it is a big game, and everyone feels it. We felt it and the fans felt it because they were there for us today. We showed up, that was the most important thing."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, felt his side deserved something from the game.
"We don't like to lose or drop points, but I really liked the performance," he said. "We deserved something more, but the performance was good.
"We controlled most of the game. We had chances, we had possession. We don't like to lose, but if we have to choose, this is the way. The team was brave on and off the ball.
"I don't think this game defines where we are. We prepared in the best way, it worked quite well. You have to take chances, but overall I am very happy with the players."
