Liverpool’s Curtis Jones celebrates after scoring against Chelsea in the Premier League on October 20, 2024 | Photo courtesy: Reuters
Liverpool look like Manchester City’s main title rivals after beating Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday to remain top of the Premier League table.
City needed John Stone’s injury-time header to beat last-placed Wolves 2-1 in the opening kick-off, but Liverpool responded with a composed performance at Anfield to hand Chelsea their first league defeat since the opening round.
After seeing third-placed Arsenal lose at Bournemouth on Saturday to put the Gunners’ title hopes in doubt, Liverpool and City took full advantage to close a small gap in the standings. Arne Slot’s side are one point ahead of City and four ahead of Arsenal with 21 points from eight matches.
Curtis Jones orchestrated the win for Liverpool, earning a penalty for Mohamed Salah’s first-half opener and then scoring himself to restore the hosts’ lead in the 51st minute shortly after Nicholas Jackson had equalized for Chelsea. Did.
Jones also thought he had earned a second penalty in first-half injury time, but it was overturned after a VAR review as Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had received the ball before laying it over the Liverpool player.
But he did brilliantly to beat the offside trap, get on the end of the ball from Salah in the box and slot in the winner.
“As soon as Mo had the ball I took a run, but she jumped so I had to touch her and then thankfully it went in,” Jones said.
Liverpool were the last team other than City to win the title in 2019-20, and had pushed Pep Guardiola’s team to the finish several times under Jurgen Klopp, before finishing just fifth two years ago and third last season. .
However, in Slott’s first season in charge, the Reds are again looking like credible challengers and have now won 10 out of 11 games in all competitions.
And City look far from unbeatable, needing one more late goal from Stones to avoid a third league draw in four games against a Wolves team that has just one point so far.
VAR intervention was also required for the goal to stand, as referee Chris Kavanagh was called on the sideline monitor to review whether Bernardo Silva was interfering with goalkeeper José Sá from an offside position.
“We are not used to winning games in the end,” said Guardiola, whose team has won four consecutive league titles by regularly beating most opponents. “It tastes good to us.”
This extended City’s unbeaten streak to a club-record 31 league games, surpassing the record set by Guardiola’s team in 2018.
Prolific striker Erling Haaland was kept scoreless for the third straight league game, with City’s defenders providing the goals instead when Jorgen Strand Larsson gave the hosts a surprise early lead in the seventh minute.
Josco Guardiol equalized with a superb right-foot shot from outside the area in the 33rd minute, but Wolves repelled successive waves of City attacks before a late intervention from Stones, who equalized against Arsenal in the eighth minute. Scored a last-gasp equalizing goal. Minutes of injury time last month.
“These moments don’t come around very often for us,” Stones said. “Over the years we’ve come up with a few and today was one of them.”
published – October 21, 2024 02:25 am IST