Liverpool reclaimed their Premier League lead with a hard-fought win over Chelsea. Curtis Jones was influential in both of their goals for a 2-1 win. The Blues dropped points away from home for the first time this season.



<h2>Both teams went for the win</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20241020_WST_536109_Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-1200x675_fa32de50.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-536181" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-740x416.jpg 740w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-490x275.jpg 490w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1-250x140.jpg 250w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-1-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca enjoyed decent starts in their maiden Premier League season. The home defeat to Nottingham Forest is the only time <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/liverpool-tv-schedule/">Liverpool</a> failed to win out of ten games in all competitions. Similarly, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> only lost a single match in the league so far.



After Arsenal’s shock defeat at Vitality Stadium a day earlier, the Blues have the opportunity to climb to third in the standings. Meanwhile, the hosts aim to cut short Manchester City’s lead at the summit. Another late goal by John Stones helped Pep Guardiola’s side secure crucial three points at cellar dwellers Wolves earlier on Sunday



Alisson Becker’s injury, which caused Slot to recommend a rethink in fixture scheduling, left Liverpool to start with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. But the biggest pregame headline concerns Chelsea’s skipper. Reece James goes straight back to the lineup after recovering from his latest hamstring injury.



The visitors started the game with a high-line defense that nearly saw Tosin Adarabioyo sent off inside the first ten minutes. After Liverpool’s dominant spell in possession, Maresca’s men grew into the game. That was until another challenge from Levi Colwill brought the first goal, however.



Mohamed Salah’s strike from the spot was the game’s first shot on target, but both teams showed attacking intent in the first half-hour. The Egyptian was ready to repeat the trick in the stroke of half-time before Jones denied a second penalty kick following a VAR review.



<h2>Quickfire goals after the break</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20241020_WST_536109_Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-1200x675_65b01bc6.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-536184" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-740x416.jpg 740w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-490x275.jpg 490w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1-250x140.jpg 250w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Liverpool-Chelsea-2-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



Shortly after that, Chelsea nearly found an equalizer through the usual suspect Cole Palmer. They did get their goal right after the break, though. While Maresca prepared a triple substitution in the wake of Nicolas Jackson’s goal, Liverpool retook the lead through Jones.



With four like-for-like changes well before the hour mark, the Italian coach took an early risk. But they finished the game with only two shots on target to their name. Their late effort failed to materialize as they suffered their first league defeat since the opening week.



Although there was plenty of movement in both boxes, the match lacked clear-cut chances. Nonetheless, the win will do lots of good for Slot. You could point your fingers at Ibrahima Konate for Chelsea’s solitary stroke. Yet, conceding three goals after eight rounds is very commendable.



On the other end of the pitch, Jones had a man-of-the-match performance. The 23-year-old had a slow start to the season due to a muscular injury. However, he’s back on his feet to earn a spot alongside Ryan Gravenberch.



<h2>What’s next for Liverpool and Chelsea?</h2>



Liverpool’s challenging schedule will continue in midweek with a trip to Leipzig. Ibrahima Konaté and Dominik Szoboszlai will duel with their former teammates. The Champions League fixture will be followed by another high-profile encounter with fellow title hopefuls Arsenal.



Chelsea travel to Greece for a showdown with Panathinaikos wthout Cole Palmer, who <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/why-chelsea-left-cole-palmer-out-of-this-seasons-uefa-conference-league-squad-for-group-stage/">is not</a> registered in their European Conference League roster. Maresca’s side will then face Newcastle United twice in the space of three days.



PHOTOS: IMAGO

Liverpool back to Premier League summit after win over Chelsea

Liverpool back to Premier League summit after win over Chelsea - World Soccer Talk

Liverpool extended their lead atop the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> table on Saturday by thumping <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/brentford-tv-schedule/">Brentford</a> 4-1 away from home. Along with the relatively easy victory, manager Jurgen Klopp also welcomed back superstar Mohamed Salah as well. The Egyptian attacker previously suffered a hamstring injury while on national team duty. Although he was initially named on the bench, Salah entered the fray as a substitute.



Unfortunately for the Reds, Klopp was forced to make the move earlier than expected. Fellow forward Diogo Jota went down just before the halftime break with an apparent knee injury. The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/portugal-national-team-tv-schedule/">Portugal</a> international went down awkwardly during a clash with a Bees defender. While Jota was able to get up fairly quickly, he was eventually taken off of the pitch in a stretcher.



<h2>Liverpool injuries forced Klopp to make multiple substitutes at half-time</h2>



Jota wasn’t the only <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/liverpool-tv-schedule/">Liverpool</a> player to be off before the second half. Prior to the Portuguese playmaker’s issue, Curtis Jones also limped off. Nevertheless, Ryan Gravenberch replaced Jones in the 34th minute of the match.



Klopp then swapped out starter Darwin Nunez at halftime for Cody Gakpo. Following the win, the manager claimed that the striker also fell awkwardly before the break. Klopp felt as if he should make the move at halftime rather than use another substitute slot in the second half.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="857" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240217_WST_490159_imago1040678486h-1200x857_bad25f8e.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=857" alt="" class="wp-image-490188" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/imago1040678486h-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/imago1040678486h-300x214.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/imago1040678486h-768x549.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/imago1040678486h-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/imago1040678486h-2048x1463.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure><figcaption>Darwin Nunez scored a delightful chip before injury forced him off the pitch</figcaption></figure>



“It is mixed emotions, we lost players which we don’t know how serious it is,” Klopp <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/67788429" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> TNT Sports in his postgame interview. 



“It doesn’t look great for either of them. We will see. It was never easy for us, at the moment it is fine. We have 57 points and in a few days play again.”



The Red boss was then quick to point towards some bad luck regarding injuries. “Definitely,” responded Klopp. “I think there was a knock on Curtis [Jones]. It was a challenge with Diogo [Jota] as well and Darwin [Nunez] we are not sure if he has something or not, he felt something.”



<h2>Potential injury crisis coming at an awful time for club</h2>



Liverpool fans will surely take the three points on the day, but will also be concerned about a potential injury crisis going forward. 



The Merseyside club were already without several key players for the fixture with Brentford. 



This included typical starters Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Thiago Alcantara. However, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic, and Ben Doak remain on the sidelines as well.



Although they currently lead the league by two points, the timing of the series of injuries is obviously less than ideal. The title race will almost certainly go down to the wire between Liverpool, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a>, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a> and the Reds need to get healthy fast.



Fending off City, in particular, is a tough task even with a fully fit squad. After all, Pep Guardiola’s side has collected five of the last six Premier League titles. 



City enter their matchup with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> on Saturday five points behind Liverpool, but do have two games at hand.



Photo credits: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo : IMAGO / Sportimage

Liverpool suffer multiple key injuries in Brentford victory

Three different Liverpool players appeared to suffer injuries during the 4-1 win over Brentford on Saturday

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Liverpool back to Premier League summit after win over Chelsea

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Liverpool suffer multiple key injuries in Brentford victory